Sounds Like Kliff Kingsbury Made An Impression In Bears Interview

The Chicago Bears had met with several different offensive coordinator candidates for the past two weeks. Most of them came from similar backgrounds. That of the Shanahan/McVay wide-zone scheme that is a staple across the NFL. There were some outliers like Greg Roman or Greg Olson, who both come from slightly different backgrounds. However, the Bears had taken any drastic leaps into the unknown. That changed on Thursday when reports surfaced that representatives of the team, likely including GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, flew out to Los Angeles to meet with USC quarterbacks coach Kliff Kingsbury.

While the meeting was labeled as an interview for the offensive coordinator job, most assumed the real reason was to pick the young coach's brain about Caleb Williams. The Trojans star is the heavy favorite to be the #1 pick in the 2024 draft. Chicago holds that pick. If he's going to be their guy, they must know everything possible about him. Kingsbury, as a former QB himself and who coached Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray, was an obvious person to speak with.

According to a source, the coach made a strong impression during the meeting. Bears representatives were "mindblown." He presented a detailed, well-thought-out plan and had answers ready for every scenario presented to him. Not only that, but he provided lots of honest answers about Williams, both good and bad. The meeting lasted several hours.

Kliff Kingsbury did himself lots of favors.

This doesn't mean he already has the job, but it sounds like he made a much stronger case for himself than expected. He could be a serious candidate now. It also appears as if Williams' odds of being the Bears' pick in April have improved dramatically. They already seem sold on his tape. The final step is getting into the same room with him for interviews. If he checks all the necessary boxes during those sessions, Poles will give the green light to pull the trigger.

Plenty of people have been critical of Kliff Kingsbury in recent years. They feel he is too inconsistent as an offensive playcaller, relying too heavily on the passing game and not running the ball. This is a common criticism of guys who run the "Air Raid" offense. Kingsbury did make some solid adjustments during his time in the NFL and ran the ball more consistently in Arizona to help keep the pressure off Murray.

Like it or not, the guy knows how to coach up quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes became a superstar at Texas Tech. Murray made two Pro Bowls under his watch. Besides, he won't be the head coach in Chicago. He'd be able to focus all his time and energy on offense. It would be a bold move if the Bears go down that road.