Chicago Bears: Did Matt Nagy take the next step to hiring Pat Shurmur?

Rumors are swirling around about the Chicago Bears and possibly hiring Pat Shurmur as their next offensive coordinator. Did Matt Nagy take the next step to possibly hiring Shurmur by bringing in another friendly face?

The Chicago Bears are shaking up their offensive coaching staff. These moves came only a few days after their season ended. The team fired four coaches including Mark Helfrich and Harry Heistand. Helfrich was inexperienced, but Heistand was a well-respected name throughout both college and the NFL. Thins did not work out though.

Rumors are that these two coaches were in charge of tackling the run game. Well, the run game has yet to live up to the standards of not only the team but fans too. The Bears made their first replacement hire earlier this week when they brought in Juan Castillo to replace Harry Heistand. Castillo and Matt Nagy have some history coaching together, but Castillo also coached with Pat Shurmur. The three of them all crossed paths while working for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now it seems Matt Nagy has taken another step to possibly lock up Pat Shurmur as their offensive coordinator. Earlier today, it was announced that the Chicago Bears hired Clancy Barone (no relation to Ray Barone) to replace Kevin Gilbride as their tight ends coach. Barone has 15 years of experience coaching at the NFL level. He also has 17 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level.

Barone spent most of his time with the Denver Broncos. He has experience as a tight ends coach and an offensive line coach. Barone did not have a team in 2019, but his most recent stint was with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, Pat Shurmur was the offensive coordinator of the Vikings. This means Barone spent one year working with and under Shurmur.

Now, the coaching carousel runs deep in the NFL. Many coaches have overlaps where they worked together at some point. That said, Shurmur mentioned that he wants an offensive coordinator position and the Bears are in need of an offensive coordinator. Is Nagy positioning the team to convince Shurmur to come to Chicago by bringing in coaches Shurmur is familiar with already?

The Chicago Bears could go in many directions with their offensive coordinator position. It seems most fans want Shurmur, but there are plenty of other options they could pursue. Who is at the top of your wish list for an offensive coordinator?