The Chicago Bears have sent out an interview request for Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. This would be the first head coach opportunity for the former first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. What would he bring that makes him worthy, and what would be the push back against that?
Chicago Bears should hire Byron Leftwich
Byron Leftwich and Bruce Arians worked together when Leftwich was the backup to Ben Roethlisberger on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since then, Arians has been sure to not let Leftwich get too far away from him.
When he was hired by the Arizona Cardinals, he reached out to Leftwich and added him to the coaching staff. Leftwich was the quarterbacks’ coach with Arians in Arizona but moved to offensive coordinator with Arians in Tampa Bay.
Whatever conversations that Leftwich and Arians have in those quarterbacks meetings work because Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, and Tom Brady have all been unloading big passes with the duo.
When you think of Justin Fields, you think of his deep field passing ability. That is the perfect fit for what Leftwich added when working with these quarterbacks.
Arians is aging, but Leftwich is clearly on the same tree and will bring a younger, potentially more progressive philosophy and culture. The other fact is that if you watched Leftwich play at Marshall or the Jaguars you know that his teammates and players will ride with him. A young offensive mind with leadership skills is what you want.
Why Chicago Bears should not hire Byron Leftwich
When Arians retired, the Arizona Cardinals had a chance to promote Leftwich and did not. Once Arians left, things failed and Leftwich went unemployed until Arians jumped back into coaching. The Bucs offense put up big numbers with Jameis Winston but never had rhythm.
So, Leftwich was a quarterbacks coach in Arizona, then had his most success at his highest level when coaching Tom Brady. Yes, Brady meshed his favorite plays with the favorites of Arians and Leftwich, but it is hard to give Leftwich the most credit in the room that features the greatest to do it.
Leftwich very well could be a great coach, but there is a lot of risks and a lot of unknown as to how successful he could be without Arians or Brady. Perhaps Leftwich needs a few more years as a coordinator, or perhaps he could use a stint as a failed coach before learning and growing.