Pros and Cons of Chicago Bears hiring Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator

The Chicago Bears are interviewing Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Who is Shane Waldron, what does he bring to the Bears, and what are some of the biggest takeaways from the potential of him being the offensive coordinator?

Should the Chicago Bears hire Shane Waldron?

Waldon started his path to the NFL as an assistant with the New England Patriots back in 2002. When Charlie Weiss went to Notre Dame, he brought Waldron with him as a graduate assistant. Waldron went back to New England from 2008 to 2009 before heading into the American Football League when he was not retained by the team in 2010. 

From there, Waldron went to college and coached for Buckingham Browne & Nichols School and then UMass. It was at UMass, where he coached with Mark Whipple and Liam Coen, that Sean McVay noticed him. 

McVay hired Waldron as quality control for Washington in 2016 when McVay was the offensive coordinator there. That was a big break. Waldron went to be a passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams under McVay from 2018 through 2020 until he was named Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator in 2021. He coached Russell Wilson in his first year and Geno Smith over the last two years. 

With Pete Carroll leaving, the Seahawks told coaches they could seek jobs elsewhere, which opens the door for the Chicago Bears.

Pros to Chicago Bears hiring Shane Waldron

The Chicago Bears wanted a McVay-style coach, but when they hired Luke Getsy, they did not realize he was more of a friend of Aaron Rodgers than he was a coach under Matt LeFleur. He actually had more of a Joe Moorhead influence.

Waldron actually coached under McVay; Getsy did not. This is more of a look into what they wanted. Beyond that, he resurrected Geno Smith's career. Lastly, the Seahawks have had sound run schemes for three straight years under Waldron. 

Cons to Chicago Bears hiring Shane Waldron

The Seahawks passing game was largely disappointing, considering they had D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith Njigba. Waldron has been prone to calling too many screens at the wrong time and struggling to adjust in-game after the scripted plays are over as well as coming up short in the red zone. That brings vibes similar to Luke Getsy. 

If the Chicago Bears did hire Waldron, the thought would have to be that they are drafting a quarterback first overall because his scheme would have to adapt significantly for Justin Fields. His scheme has been much more about quick passes and diagnosing the defense with quick reads, which is what helped Geno Smith.