Another Shanahan Offensive Link for Bears

Further indication of where the Bears want to take their offense in 2022 became apparent on Wednesday when the team announced three assistant coach hirings.

Chris Morgan became the new Bears offensive line coach, while former Colts defensive coaches Alan Williams and Dave Borgonzi officially joined the Bears staff after reports all week that both would be joining new Bears coach Matt Eberflus coming over from Indianapolis.

The hiring of Morgan is huge because the Bears have hired Green Bay quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator and he has extensive experience within the Shanahan style of offense in Green Bay, but it helps to have an offensive line coach with some experience within that system to implement the wide-zone blocking techniques David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert will run behind. Morgan has plenty of this.

In fact, Morgan was there at the outset with Washington in 2011 on the staff of Mike Shanahan working as an offensive line assistant under Chris Foerster. On that same on the offensive staff were current 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, Rams coach Sean McVay and Packers coach Matt LaFleur.

When Kyle Shanahan became Dan Quinn's offensive coordinator for the Falcons, Morgan was the head offensive line coach and running game coordinator. He also was assistant line coach in Seattle when the Seahawks won the NFC championship in 2014 under Quinn.

Now going into his 14th NFL season, Morgan is coming off a year when he was an assistant offensive line coach in Pittsburgh and finished up as the interim offensive line coach.

The #Bills are expected to hire former #Panthers OC Joe Brady as their new QBs coach, sources say. He takes the place of recently promoted OC Ken Dorsey.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2022

Williams will be calling Bears plays on defense as the new defensive coordinator even though Eberflus' background is as a defensive coordinator. He has been in coaching for 30 years, including 21 in the NFL but only two as a coordinator in 2012-13 with Minnesota. He was Colts safeties coach over the past four seasons under Eberflus, his second stint with Indianapolis after being there from 2002-2011 under Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell. He also was a defensive backs coach for Tampa Bay in 2001 and Detroit from 2014-17 under Caldwell.

Borgonzi was Colts linebackers coach under Eberflus from 2018-21 and had been in Tampa Bay under both Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter from 2014-17. He was in Dallas from 2011-13.

Also Wednesday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported they will hire former Giants wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert as their new receivers coach and passing game coordinator.

Tolbert was Giants receivers coach from 2018-2021 and had been Broncos receivers coach from 2011-17, including their Super Bowl-winning season of 2014. He also coached receivers for Arizona (2003), Buffalo (2004-09) and Carolina (2010).

The #Bears continue to fill out their staff, hiring former #Giants WRs coach Tyke Tolbert as their new WRs coach and passing game coordinator, sources say. A very respected assistant who excels at developing talent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2022

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