The first member of Matt Nagy’s staff is a home run.
While the world was waiting for the Chicago Bears to sign Vic Fangio to continue as the team’s defensive coordinator, the first assistant coach of Matt Nagy’s staff has joined the team, but it wasn’t Fangio.
Matt Nagy's first hire as #Bears head coach is a big one. He lured offensive line coach Harry Hiestand away from Notre Dame for a second run with the team. https://t.co/CJIBUmc9kW
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 10, 2018
This is a fantastic hire for the Chicago Bears. Harry Hiestand is considered the best offensive line coach in the country. He’s done wonders at Notre Dame, and he has ties to Chicago, working with the Bears’ offensive line from 2005 to 2009.
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Hiestand has done a tremendous job at Notre Dame, helping develop some of the best offensive line prospects during his time with the Irish. In the upcoming draft, he has two more first-round locks: guard Quenton Nelson and tackle Mike McGlinchey.
Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy want to keep Mitch Trubisky upright and protected. With pieces like Kyle Long and Cody Whitehair, they have some pieces to do that. Now, with Hiestand, the Bears will hope the line continues to develop into one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
It will be curious to see with Hiestand on the staff if the Bears are swayed to take one of the two Notre Dame offensive linemen with the 8th overall pick in the first round. There’s a growing consensus that the Bears should go with an edge rusher on defense or an offensive lineman with their first pick.
Nagy needs to keep working on the staff, and his top priority right now remains Fangio. So while hiring his defensive coordinator may be the most important hire, it’s good to see Nagy continuing to work to hire the rest of his staff, and starting with Hiestand is a great job.