QB Specialist Greg Olson Joins Bears' List Of Fascinating OC Candidates

The Chicago Bears now have three offensive coordinator candidates who have been reported by national insiders. They are Shane Waldron, Klint Kubiak, and Liam Coen. All three have the same things in common. They're on the younger side, have play-calling experience, and run a variation of the Shanahan-style wide-zone offense. While it hasn't come out yet, there is a fourth candidate in the mix, according to Danny Parkins of 670 The Score. That is longtime assistant Greg Olson.

No, it's not the one you're thinking of. This is Olson with an o, not an e. The 60-year-old has been around the NFL since 2001, when he broke in as quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Two years later, he held the same position in Chicago. Since 2005, he has held the offensive coordinator job with five different organizations. While he didn't always have the best luck with talent to work with, one trend seemed to stand out consistently.

He did well getting the most out of his quarterbacks.

Greg Olson squeezed good years from bad quarterbacks.

He took over the development of 1st round pick Josh Freeman in 2009 with Tampa Bay. A year later, the QB threw for 3400 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. In hindsight, that feat doesn't get nearly enough credit, given how terrible Freeman turned out to be. Two years later in Oakland, he got a decent rookie season from Derek Carr (3200 yards, 21 TDs, 12 INTs). Yet Olson's masterpiece may have come in 2015 when he got Blake Bortles to throw for 4400 yards and 35 touchdowns.

In truth, Greg Olson might be best served as a quarterbacks coach. He has held that role since 2017 with the Rams, Raiders, and Seahawks. In that time, Jared Goff, Carr, and Geno Smith all had career years. It would be a steal if the Bears could get him into that role. He does well with his quarterbacks as a play-caller but has never produced good running games. That might be a dealbreaker for Eberflus. Besides, his background in the Shanahan system isn't nearly as strong as the other candidates.