It felt as though the Chicago Bears were staying a bit too quiet with the offensive coordinator search the first few days after Declan Doyle took the Baltimore Ravens OC job, but that has certainly changed.
The first reported interview request was for Arizona Cardinals pass game specialist Connor Senger. Bears head coach Ben Johnson was not done as he made a second request for an interview with Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters, according to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones.
Walters has been with the Bengals since 2020, starting as the assistant wide receivers coach that first year. In 2021, he was promoted to wide receivers coach and has been in the role since.
Bears request to interview Troy Walters for OC opening
One big difference between Walters and Senger is that Walters has offensive coordinator experience, though not at the professional level. In 2016 and 2017, Walters was the OC at UCF before moving to Nebraska to serve as the Cornhuskers' offensive coordinator for two years.
That's invaluable experience that gives Walters a big leg up on the competition. He knows what it takes for an offense to be successful and has done it in the past in college, but more importantly, the development of receivers like Tee Higgins and JaMarr Chase shouldn't be overlooked as well.
Johnson might be looking for another Doyle, who is young and hungry with creative ideas, but Walters could be a big asset to the team. Putting him with receivers like Rome Odunze and Luther Burden would help those young receivers take the next steps in their development.
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The Bears still have a ton of candidates to go through, as it appears they have ramped up the search, but it may be a bit before fans know who Johnson will pick for the job.