Who is new Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron?

The Bears are expected to hire Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Monday.

Waldron will join head coach Matt Eberflus’ staff with the purpose of revamping an offense that struggled in the passing game last season. Under former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who was fired Jan. 10, the Bears had one of the best rushing attacks in football each of the past two seasons. The passing game, however, was the NFL’s worst in a decade in 2022 and didn’t fare much better in 2023, when it ranked 27th in passing yards per game.

It will be Waldron’s job to fix that.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles elected to keep Eberflus as head coach after seeing all the progress Eberflus’ defense made last season. But Eberflus badly needs his offensive coordinator hire to work out. The defense is ready to win now. The offense has to catch up.

So who is Shane Waldron, and is he the right man for the job? Here’s what we know.

Who is Shane Waldron?

Waldron, 44, most recently served as the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks under head coach Pete Carroll. Waldron held the job for three seasons (2021-23).

When the Seahawks fired Carroll after Week 18, they allowed all his assistants to seek employment elsewhere, which put Waldron on the market. The New Orleans Saints also reportedly interviewed Waldron for their offensive coordinator position.

Waldron grew up in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Tufts University in 2002. He played tight end and long snapper in college. He began his coaching career as an intern with the New England Patriots in 2002 and worked his way up with the Patriots. During his early years, he coached at the high school, college and professional levels, including stints at Notre Dame, UMass and again with the Patriots.

In more recent years, Waldron worked with coach Sean McVay in Washington and in Los Angeles. He served as McVay’s passing game coordinator for three seasons (2018-20) before the Seahawks hired him to be their offensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season.

Waldron coached a Russell Wilson-led Seahawks offense for one season before Seattle traded away Wilson. Waldron oversaw the reemergence of quarterback Geno Smith, who won NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2022.

Asked about his offensive coordinator hire Jan. 10, the first thing Eberflus mentioned is teaching.

You want to have somebody that’s a great teacher. I think that’s important because he has to coach the coaches to coach the positions, and I think that’s the No. 1 trait of any great coach.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

“You want to have somebody that’s a great teacher,” Eberflus said. “I think that’s important because he has to coach the coaches to coach the positions, and I think that’s the No. 1 trait of any great coach.”

Waldron has done that at every level of coaching. The Bears hired Waldron over at least eight other candidates who interviewed for the job.

Waldron and his wife, Meghan, have two daughters, Lainey and Rylee.

What is Waldron’s coaching history?

Here’s a look at the positions Waldron has held:

• New England Patriots operations intern (2002-03)
• New England Patriots operations assistant (2004)
• Notre Dame offensive graduate assistant (2005-07)
• New England Patriots offensive quality control coach (2008)
• New England Patriots tight ends coach (2009)
• Hartford Colonials (UFL) wide receivers coach (2010)
• Buckingham Browne & Nichols High School (Mass.) offensive coordinator (2011)
• UMass tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator (2012-13)
• UMass offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator (2014-15)
• Washington (NFL) offensive quality control coach (2016)
• Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach (2017)
• Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator (2018-20), and quarterbacks coach (2019)
• Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator (2021-23)

What do we know about Waldron as an offensive coordinator?

Waldron’s offense in Seattle was a variation of what McVay ran in Los Angeles. It featured the wide zone blocking scheme that has become so popular across the NFL. McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel were all, once-upon-a-time, on the same staff under Shanahan’s dad, Mike Shanahan, in Washington in 2013. Their offensive philosophies have taken the league by storm in recent years.

Who else was on that 2013 Washington staff? Current Bears offensive line coach Chris Morgan. Morgan is one of only two offensive position coaches who the Bears kept after firing Getsy. So it’s almost a certainty the Bears will continue to run a variation of the wide zone. Getsy tried to run it, and it had great success in the Bears’ rushing effort, but could never effectively integrate a successful passing attack.

During his first two seasons in Seattle, Waldron’s Seahawks offenses were incredibly efficient in the run game. In 2021, they averaged 5.02 yards per carry, which ranked third in the NFL. A year later, they averaged 4.8 yards per carry (ranked seventh). It’s probably no surprise that a high-level rushing attack appeals to Eberflus. Fundamentally, he still wants his teams to lean on his defense and be smart with the football on offense.

But it can’t be a one-dimensional offense. That’s partially what led to Getsy’s firing.

“We have an open mind,” Eberflus said when asked Jan. 10 about the scheme he would prefer. “You have an open mind and listen to these candidates and do a really good job of pulling that information and gathering it and also making good decisions on who we hire. There’s a lot of different ways to do it.”

The 2022 Seahawks, with Smith at quarterback, threw for 231.4 yards per game (tied for 11th). A Waldron-led offense can be effective both in the run and pass games. The Bears have not averaged 200 passing yards per game in a season since 2020.

In Seattle, Waldron utilized his tight ends well. In each of the past two seasons, the Seahawks had three tight ends with 15 or more catches. The Bears haven’t had two tight ends total 15 or more catches in the same year since 2020. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett have been productive under Waldron’s tutelage, so there’s room for multiple wide receivers to thrive, too.

What does it mean at quarterback?

The Bears have a huge decision looming regarding quarterback Justin Fields. Fields enters the fourth and final year of his rookie contract in 2024, but the Bears have the right to tack on a fifth-year option for 2025. They also hold the rights to the No. 1 overall draft pick, thanks to last year’s trade with the Carolina Panthers.

If the Bears want to draft a quarterback and reset the rookie contract timeline, they will never have a better opportunity – especially with two highly regarded QBs in Caleb Williams and Drake Maye available.

Adding Waldron to the mix doesn’t really change the equation much. Waldron has worked with young quarterbacks (Jared Goff) and wily veterans (Russell Wilson). When the Bears drafted Fields, Fields mentioned Wilson as one of the players he grew up emulating. Waldron certainly could help Fields emulate Wilson.

Waldron has worked with QB Collective, which runs camps and coaches elite quarterback prospects. He is listed on the QB Collective website, along with numerous other NFL coaches. Williams, the potential No. 1 overall draft pick, has attended QB Collective events in the past. He’s working with quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello during the lead up to the draft. Scangarello has ties to QB Collective.

That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but Waldron’s connections at QB Collective likely will have great insight into Williams.

[ Here are 4 teams the Chicago Bears could trade Justin Fields to in 2024 ]

What happens next?

As of Monday afternoon, the Bears have not officially announced Waldron’s hiring. When they do, he will set about assembling his offensive staff. Morgan, the offensive line coach, remains in place, as does tight ends coach Jim Dray.

The Bears will need to look for a quarterbacks coach, a receivers coach, a passing game coordinator and likely some additional lower-level coaches to round out the offensive staff.