The Chicago Bears are hiring Kerry Joseph to be the quarterbacks coach. This marks the first assistant hire for the Shane Waldron coaching staff. What does Joseph bring, and is hiring him a good decision?
Chicago Bears hire Kerry Joseph as quarterbacks coach
Kerry Joseph knows quarterbacks well because he played quarterback. He was one of the best players in McNeese State program history, and while he went undrafted, Joseph did spend some time with the Cincinnati Bengals.
In 1997 and 1998, he played overseas before returning to the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2002. Joseph moved to the CFL and played there from 2003 through 2014, where he had a long career as a starting quarterback.
Joseph started his coaching career in 2014 as an intern with the New Orleans Saints. In 2016, he went back to McNeese State to be a co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. In 2017, he interned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After a year at McNeese in 2018, he went to Southeastern Louisiana for a year. That is when he got his real jump back into the NFL. Joseph was an offensive assistant in 2020 with the Seahawks before moving to assistant wide receivers coach. Lastly, he was assistant quarterback coach last year with the Seattle Seahawks under Shane Waldron.
Pros to Chicago Bears hiring Kerry Joseph as Quarterbacks coach
Joseph only got such a late start to his coaching career because he was actually playing quarterback, which is probably a good thing if he is coaching quarterback. While he is following Waldron, it is worth noting that he was on the Seahawks staff a year prior to Waldron.
So, Waldron worked with him for a year, then promoted to assistant quarterback for his last two years with the team. Now, he is taking him with him. They have only known each other for three years, but Waldron obviously thinks highly of him, and these are not just two friends who always follow each other around.
Cons to Chicago Bears hiring Kerry Joseph as Quarterbacks coach
Joseph only has experience as an assistant quarterback coach. He can play quarterback, but this will be a step up in his role. Should they be interested in more experience in this room, especially with such a young quarterback? Do they hire an assistant quarterback coach?