Bears Hire Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron to Call Plays

The Bears filled their opening at offensive coordinator Monday by hiring Shane Waldron who held the same position the last three seasons under Pete Carroll in Seattle. Waldron had his most success in 2022 turning disappointing quarterback Geno Smith into a pro bowler who threw for 4282 yards and 30 touchdowns as the Seahawks made the playoffs.

The Bears have picked their next offensive coordinator. It’s Shane Waldron, a league source says. They’re working on getting the deal done now.

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) January 22, 2024

Smith took a step back in 2023 partially due to injury and Seattle missed the playoffs leading to Carol stepping down as head coach. Chicago of course, had an opening after firing OC Luke Getsy, who struggled mightily to get the offense into gear.

Waldron previously held numerous positions on the staff of Sean McVay with the Rams in Los Angeles, including passing game coordinator. Before that he held positions with Washington and New England and coached at UMass in the college ranks.

Seattle had much better skill position players than the Bears did in 2023, especially stud wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and outstanding running back Kenneth Walker III. Chicago still has a big question a quarterback that needs to be answered in the next few months.

Waldron’s ability to resurrect Geno Smith might give some hope he would be able to rejuvenate Justin Fields if the Bears decided to keep him. Smith, however, has a more similar skill set to USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who might be the first pick of the draft by Chicago.

It won’t be clear if this is a successful move until after the season but it was probably a good decision to go with a coach that has previously called plays in NFL games after going with a first timer like Getsy. Now it’s time to see what moves they make personnel wise this season which will be the more important factor in how well their offense performs in 2024.