Dowell Loggains: Who is the Chicago Bears New Offensive Coordinator?

The Chicago Bears surprised no one when they promoted 35-year old quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains to be their offensive coordinator in 2016, replacing Adam Gase who took his talents to South Beach to helm the Miami Dolphins.  So who is the new offensive coordinator?

Loggains was a four-year letterman as a walk-on at the University of Arkansas.  Loggains completed the one pass he attempted in his college career, so he probably knew that he wasn’t going to earn a paycheck under center.  Early on, he knew that he wanted to pursue a career in football:

"“I walked on at Arkansas and earned a scholarship,” Loggains said. “But I did that for the connections and ties I’d make. I knew at a very early age I wanted to be a coach.”"

After graduation, Loggains got an opportunity as a scouting assistant with the Dallas Cowboys where he assisted breaking down opponent film, self-scouting and statistical analysis.

"“I was getting ready to take a [graduate assistant] job in the SEC and had my friends tell me I’d be making a bad move if I did that (instead of joining the Cowboys),” Loggains said. “So I went with the peer pressure and took the job with the Cowboys, and it’s worked out well to this point.”"

More from Bear Goggles On

• Franchise tag and transition tag windows open for Chicago Bears and NFL
• How the Chicago Bears can control the running back market in 2023
• The Chicago Bears can own the city of Chicago moving forward
• Chicago Bears NFL Combine Preview: Quarterback
• 7 best free agent tackle options for Chicago Bears

In 2006, Loggains took a position as an offensive administrative assistant with the Tennessee Titans.  (Sounds like he fetched the coffee and donuts).  In 2008, he moved to an offensive quality control assistant and in 2010, he became the Titans quarterbacks coach.  Loggains took over as the Titans offensive coordinator for the final five games of the 2012 season and held that position for the 2013 season.  In 2014, Loggains was the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns under OC Kyle Shanahan.  He worked with

and rookie

.  Don’t hold that against him.

Loggains joined John Fox’s staff in 2015, serving as the quarterbacks coach for Adam Gase, so when Gase got the nod as a head coach, Loggains was a logical fit to move up to be the OC.  Head coach John Fox only had good things to say about him.

"“Dowell played a critical role on our offense last year,” Bears head coach John Fox said.  “He’s an excellent coach with experience as a play-caller and a broad knowledge of offensive football.  He has earned the respect of our players because they know he can help them get better.“As I mentioned at the end of the season, our systems are in place.  We will always look to evolve because the NFL is fluid and adapting is key to good coaching.  Dowell will help us build on what we started as we head into the 2016 season.”"

Loggains helped Jay Cutler to a career-best 92.3 quarterback rating.  It’s likely the Bears had continuity and Jay’s comfort level in mind when they promoted Loggains:

"“We’d keep the same system,” Cutler said. “The identity as a football team wouldn’t change much. We’d stay on the same path.”"

Cutler acknowledged Loggains’ career path helped land him in this position thanks to many of the offensive minds he worked with:

"“He’s a sponge,” Cutler said. “He took a lot of good stuff from all those coaches. I’m not saying he doesn’t make his mistakes because we all do. But he’s done a really good job of managing our room … and he works well with the rest of the coaches developing the plan.”"

Now we’ll see if Loggains can help Cutler and the Bears offense take the next step in their development.