Names to keep an eye on as the next Chicago Bears offensive coordinator

Some of these OC candidates have connections or are hot names floating around

There are a few other names being thrown around that could have a connection to the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator opening. Just like Kevin O’Connell and Mike McDaniel, not all of these names have a direct link to either Matt Eberflus or Ryan Poles, but that doesn’t necessarily matter.

Pep Hamilton – Houston Texans, Quarterbacks Coach / Passing Game Coordinator

There are already reports that Pep Hamilton is being interviewed at Halas Hall today. There is a small connection of Hamilton to Ryan Poles that goes back to 2008. Ryan Poles was an undrafted free agent of the Bears in 2008. He never saw action, but Pep Hamilton was on the team as the quarterbacks coach at the time. I’m sure the two are more than just familiar with one another.

Hamilton is a respected name throughout the NFL. He was an offensive coordinator of the Colts (Matt Eberflus was not around) from 2013 to 2015. His offenses saw both great success and some awful times too. Hamilton ran the offense under Chuck Pagano who was a defensive-minded coach. In 2013, the team ranked 15th in yards and 14th in points. In 2014 the team was third in yards and sixth in points. Then, when Andrew Luck only played in seven games, the offense was ranked 28th in yards and 24th in points.

Landing Hamilton would be an exciting hire as he’s proven to work well with young quarterbacks, including Andrew Luck, Justin Herbert and even Davis Mills this year. He’s tied for me with Mike McDaniel as my top OC candidate. I think Mike Kafka would be my third choice for what it’s worth.

Rich Scangarello – San Francisco 49ers, Quarterbacks Coach

A name I haven’t seen thrown out there, but might see an interview at least is Rich Scangarello. Scangarello would fall under that Kyle Shanahan tree. He is currently the 49ers quarterback coach. He was also the quarterbacks coach under Shanahan back when he first came to the 49ers in 2017 and 2018 but left to be an offensive coordinator of the Broncos in 2019.

Things didn’t go well for Scangarello though as he only lasted one season. The team finished 28th in both points and yards. He moved onto the Eagles as a senior offensive assistant before boomeranging back to the 49ers. One connection could be if the Chicago Bears hire Ian Cunningham from the Eagles as an assistant general manager.

Cunningham is coming in for an interview with Ryan Poles. Cunningham was with the Eagles for five years. He is currently the director of player personnel but was director of college scouting (2017 and 2018) and assistant director of player personnel in 2019 and 2020. This means that Scngarello and Cunningham crossed paths in Philly.