Bears

Chicago Bears expected to hire Dan Roushar as offensive line coach

Roushar previously coached at NIU and Illinois

By Sean Hammond
Chicago Bears center Coleman Shelton (65) waits to snap the ball to quarterback Caleb Williams (18) as offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) and guard Matt Pryor (79) line up during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Chicago. The Bears defeated the Rams 24-18. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

Coleman Shelton, Caleb Williams, Darnell Wright, Matt Pryor Chicago Bears center Coleman Shelton (65) waits to snap the ball to quarterback Caleb Williams (18) as offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) and guard Matt Pryor (79) line up during a game against the Los Angeles Rams in September 2024 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski/AP)

The Chicago Bears are expected to hire Dan Roushar as their offensive line coach, per multiple reports Monday morning.

Roushar, 64, most recently served as the offensive line coach at Tulane. He has coached at the college and NFL levels for years. In the NFL, he spent 10 years on the coaching staff for the New Orleans Saints from 2013-22.

In New Orleans, Roushar at various points coached running backs, tight ends, offensive line and served as the run game coordinator. He left the Saints for Tulane after New Orleans head coach Sean Payton parted ways with the organization in early 2023.

Before his time in New Orleans, Roushar was a college coach between 1986 and 2012. That included two stints at Illinois (1995-96 and 2003-04) and one at Northern Illinois (1997-02). Roushar was promoted to offensive coordinator during his time in both Champaign and DeKalb. He also coached at Michigan State from 2007-12.

For Bears head coach Ben Johnson, the offensive line coach likely will be one of the most important hires he makes. The Bears' offensive line underperformed in 2024 and is in major need of an overhaul. It’s likely the team will make some additions over the offseason, potentially in free agency, the draft or both.

“Offensive line is certainly an area that we need to get better play from going forward, something that [general manager Ryan Poles] and I have already talked about,” Johnson said at his opening news conference Jan. 22. “We will develop a plan of attack for how to get that done, but I’m looking forward to getting an excellent offensive line coach in the building to help develop the young talent that we already have on the roster.”

While in New Orleans, Roushar worked with Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who was Sean Payton’s assistant head coach and tight ends coach. Roushar also worked with new Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who was an offensive assistant in New Orleans.

Roushar’s hiring comes two days after the Bears reportedly hired former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as running backs coach.

Chicago BearsBen JohnsonRyan Poles
Sean Hammond

Sean Hammond

Sean is the Chicago Bears beat reporter for the Shaw Local News Network. He has covered the Bears since 2020. Prior to writing about the Bears, he covered high school sports for the Northwest Herald and contributed to Friday Night Drive. Sean joined Shaw Media in 2016.