Chicago Bears: 3 Reasons to bring Lovie Smith back as DC

Could the Chicago Bears bring back a familiar face to the franchise?

Just days ago, former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith was fired as the head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini. In five seasons with the team, Smith struggled and went just 17-39 overall.

Now, the question is, where will Smith land next? Assuming he wants to continue coaching, he’ll likely have several opportunities in front of him. Maybe it’s a collegiate coordinator position. Maybe it’s another collegiate head coach spot. Or, maybe it’s a return to the NFL.

The Bears are in the middle of a tough season, recently breaking their 6-game losing streak with a win over the Houston Texans. A year full of offensive woes, quarterback questions, poor offensive line play and an inability to stick to the run game had mostly derailed a Bears offense that ranked 31st in the NFL just a couple of weeks ago.

Still toward the bottom of the barrel, the Bears’ offense is taking strides. But, the defensive side of the ball still doesn’t look quite right. It doesn’t look anywhere close to what the group in 2018 accomplished, and most of those starters are still on the roster.

With Smith’s experience as a mostly defensive mind, would he be interested in returning to the league as a defensive coordinator? That is, assuming the Bears cut ties with Chuck Pagano first.

While Pagano hasn’t been horrible, he has been mostly reserved in his scheme. For a few reasons, Smith would help improve this group and bring it back to the top of the NFL in no time.