Where Will Matt Nagy End Up?
The Bears are done hiring coaches after they named Justin Hinds as assistant defensive line coach and Kevin Koch to the ambiguous role of coaching assistant.
At the same time, it was reported by NFL.com's Ian Rapoport that former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai had been hired by Seattle's Pete Carroll to be the team's new defensive coordinator.
Neither Hinds nor Koch have NFL coaching experience.
Koch has been on Northwestern's staff since 2017, for two years as defensive grad assistant coach and then the last three years as defensive quality control analyst. His previous coaching experience was at Benedictine in Lisle, Ill. , coaching tight ends, running backs and special teams. He also coached at Robert Morris before going to his alma mater, Minnesota State Moorhead, as a defensive backs and special teams coach for two years. He had been the starting quarterback at Minnesota State.
Hinds has coached for 13 years, including the last 10 in college. He was Western Carolina defensive coordinator and linebackers coach last year and before that the defensive line coach at Central Michigan in 2019-20 and Lafayette in Pennsylvania in 2018, following a stop as defensive line coach at Valdosta State (2016-17). He was an assistant defensive line coach at Florida (2015) and Mississippi State and linebackers and outside linebackers coach at Wagner in 2012-13.
Desai is not the first former Bears coach to find work elsewhere. It could be a good hire for the Seahawks because Desai proved his versatility as a first-year coordinator in 2021.
Faced with a secondary ranked last in the NFL at passer rating against (103.3) and one with only one interception by a cornerback for the second straight year, he managed to keep the Bears third in the league against the pass and sixth overall thanks largely to their outside pass rush. And they did this despite losing Khalil Mack for the year after six games and the lack of an interior rush with Akiem Hicks out half the season injured.
Some position coaches have signed elsewhere, as well.
- Former Bears defensive line coach Chris Rumph and secondary coach Deshea Townsend both signed with the Minnesota Vikings. They are joining a defense headed by former Bears defensive backs coach Ed Donatell, who left the Bears to become Vic Fangio's defensive coordinator in Denver. Donatell previously had been a defensive coordinator in Atlanta, Green Bay and Washington.
- Outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey signed on to help Doug Pederson in Jacksonville in the same position.
- Running backs coach Michael Pitre signed in Atlanta.
- Assistant offensive line coach Donovan Raiola became Nebraska's head offensive line coach before the regular NFL season even ended.
There have been rumors regarding Nagy's return to the NFL in a coordinator's role with Detroit but the latest report seems to have more merit. That is a return for Nagy to Kansas City as the offensive coordinator or an offensive assistant.
The Chiefs lost quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka to the Giants. He went to New York to become Brian Daboll's offensive coordinator.
Also, the contract of Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has expired, so there is much uncertainty regarding his future in Andy Reid's organization.
Nagy was the Chiefs offensive coordinator for a season before coming to the Bears.
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