LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — At his introductory news conference on Thursday, new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron did not answer the question most fans are asking: Will the quarterback be Justin Fields or someone else?
Waldron didn’t say Fields’ name at all during his time on the podium, except to confirm that he has swapped messages with the incumbent starter. Beyond the quarterback, Waldron was asked directly who he liked of the current offensive Bears. He chose not to name any individuals anywhere.
“I’m just excited about some of the explosive playmakers, some of the core foundational pieces that we have up front, and then some of the toughness in the runners,” he said. “At the quarterback position, with that ability to be explosive, to be a playmaker, to work off schedule — those things are all good pieces to an offense that really finished strong last year.”
He did shed light, though, on some of the conversations that took place throughout his two interviews to get the job.
“A lot of the conversation revolved around not just the quarterback position, obviously that’s a starting point on offense, but how does that look for every position as teams adapt each year — and as players adapt each year,”said Waldron, who most recently served as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator.
“Adaptability” was the buzzword. How Waldron and his newly gathered staff can adapt their scheme to players — whoever they are — and how the front office can use the first and ninth picks in the coming draft in various ways.
In addition to Waldron, the Bears introduced new defensive coordinator Eric Washington, who said he can work with Head Coach Matt Eberflus handling the play-calling duties.
“He’s an outstanding play caller, and we saw the effect that had on our team last year, especially going down the stretch,” said Washington. “We want to continue that. We don’t want to stymie that momentum. My expectation — and his expectation for me — is to contribute to that in the planning process and in real time on gameday.”
Washington, who coached the defensive line and served as the assistant head coach for the Buffalo Bills, said his plan is to “build the best pass rush in football.”
“We’ve got size, speed, quickness, length, Montez [Sweat], I mean, it’s just exciting,” he said. “Plus, we invested heavily in the draft last year with the two young defensive tackles. I happen to know them [from] going through the draft process. All things are positive as far as that goes.”
That said, there will be a steep hill to climb. The Bears were second from the bottom in sacks in 2023, though adding Sweat midway through the season clearly helped.
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