Bear Digest

A new Bears running backs coach could make one major improvement

Dropping a name for a possible Bears running back coach after Eric Bieniemy's potential departure, and one big improvement the new coach can make.
Gene Chamberlain|
Kyle Monangai goes through a running backs drill under the watch of Eric Bieniemy in Bears practice.
Kyle Monangai goes through a running backs drill under the watch of Eric Bieniemy in Bears practice. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Much will be made within the NFC North of the Bears losing running backs coach Eric Bieniemy as a Kansas City rehire at offensive coordinator, once that becomes official.

Bieniemy definitely made an impact with a small part of the Bears roster and especially helped Kyle Monangai break into the NFL. There were ways the backs could still have improved despite a rise to third in rushing from 25th this past season.

"There are a lot of things I can improve on for sure," Monangai said Monday while players emptied the lockers. "I was just coming into this thing I was just trying to gain the trust of the organization, gain the trust of my teammates, make them feel like they made the right decision in bringing me here and then trying to help us win games at the end of the day.

"We fell short at the end of the season. But personally, looking at it, like I said, I did some good things and there are definitely some things I can build off."

Major back improvement necessary

One major way the backs can all be better is blocking the pass.

They're protecting the franchise in Caleb Williams. They can all get better.

Monangai was the worst pass blocker on the Bears this past season regardless of position, according to Pro Football Focus grading. He ranked among the worst backs in the NFL who had at least 20 pass blocks thrown. Only 10 of those in the entire league were graded lower.

D'Andre Swift started fast as a pass blocker but wound up 38th among backs with at least 20 pass blocking attempts according to PFF. His 52.6 grade was still the second best of his career, so it's never been a real strength of his.

Bieniemy helped the running game rise from 25th to third but Ben Johnson is capable of finding an effective running backs coach. It isn't a real problem for an NFL coach as connected as Johnson. Matt LaFleur and Dan Campbell aren't the only coaches with league connections in the NFC North.

Getting Bieniemy was a stroke of good fortune as he  was once the coach of a legendary back, Adrian Peterson, and had been forced to go back and coach in college after being fired by the Commanders as offensive coordinator.

With so many coaching staffs needing to reorganize after a ridiculous number of head coaching changes, this running backs coach position is one where some experienced coaches could come available.

Usually assistants remain under contract after a fired head coach leaves and the new coach is hired, then the staffs begin to organize again. So, it could be a bit before the Bears would fill this spot.

Connections

One name to drop here is Autry Denson, the Arizona Cardinals running backs coach. A former Notre Dame back and Irish running backs coach, he was the running backs coach under Johnson's good friend Drew Petzing. It was Petzing who was offensive coordinator for the Cardinals but became available as Jonathan Gannon was fired as had coach. Petzing was just hired to take the job Johnson had in Detroit before coming to the Bears—Lions offensive coordinator.

Denson actually was a Bears player briefly, in 2001, and had one rushing attempt for the division champion team that year.

When Denson was Arizona backs coach under Petzing, Cardinals back James Conner went from consecutive sub-800-yard seasons before Petzing and Denson were in Arizona to a 1,000-yard season in 2023. They went from 22nd in rushing as a team before Petzing and Denson to fourth and seventh the next two years, prior to falling off this season when Gannon was fired.

It's just the name of someone who would be available. There will be numerous coaches like this who have experience and are available with so much head coaching turnover.

They’ll all benefit if the hire at this position can help improve pass blocking among the backs, especially Caleb Williams.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.