Bear Digest

Air Raid Proponent Worked with Caleb Williams

The reported inclusion of Kliff Kingsbury among Bears offensive coordinator candidates shows a willingness to consider a drastically different style attack.
Gene Chamberlain|
Air Raid Proponent Worked with Caleb Williams
Air Raid Proponent Worked with Caleb Williams

In this story:

Chicago Bears

A really intriguing name has been uncovered in the Bears search for an offensive coordinator, if not a tip-off to what the Bears could do in the draft.

The first former NFL head coach to be considered is former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Kingsbury would seem to be a quarterback-specific choice. He just served a year as the quarterbacks coach and senior offensive analyst at Southern California, working with Caleb Williams.

The Bears have the opportunity to draft Williams No. 1.

Kingsbury is most often associated with the Air Raid offense and that's what coach Lincoln Riley used at USC last year with Williams.

This would be a truly curious matchup because the Bears would be doing a true 180 on offense if they had someone like Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. They've trying to use the wide zone running game with a real emphasis on balanced offense and play-action. It's been true 49ers/Rams offense.

Kingsbury ran the Air Raid offense in college and adapted it to the NFL with QB Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, but it was a far cry from the more physical, run-oriented attack the other NFC West teams were using.

Kingsbury has been linked to an offensive coordinator in reports with the Las Vegas Raiders. He also has been rumored in the past to be a college coaching candidate again.

Kingsbury, a former NFL backup QB, came right into the NFL ranks from college as a head coach in 2019 and managed to improve the offense for a few years before they struggled in his final season. Murray's injuries were a factor.

In 2019, Kingsbury's offense was 22nd, 21st in scoring, 18th in passing, 22nd in rushing. They hit the high point in 2020 with the sixth-ranked offense, when they were 17th in pasing and seventh in rushing. They were eighth on offense in 2021, 10th passing and 10th rushing. Then it fell to 21st in 2022, when they were 18th passing and 22nd in rushing.

The Air Raid offense Kingsbury used originally used one running back and four receivers extensively, but he had to adapt it to the NFL. The point of the Air Raid attack was to control tempo and spread out the defense. They require a running back with good receiving skills and blocking ability because of their multiple wide receiver formations.

Kingsbury was a college coach at Houston, Texas A&M and Texas Tech from 2008-2018 before coming to the NFL. He became head coach at Texas Tech in 2013 and coached there until he went to the Cardinals.

As head coach with the Cardinals, Kingsburgy was 28-37-1. In college, he was 35-40. Kingsbury was an NFL player for New England, New Orleans, Denver, the Jets and the Bills. He also played in the CFL for Montreal and Winnipeg.

The Bears search for an OC seems to be taking on a broad scope with both the possibility they would keep Justin Fields or that they would draft Williams in mind. Greg Roman was one reported candidate who would most be associated with Fields because of how he was coordinator for Lamar Jackson, who has similar running ability to the Bears QB. Kingsbury would be the opposite end with Williams as QB.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

Published
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.

Home/News