Hub Arkush: Will hiring Sean Desai as defensive coordinator be Bears biggest move of offseason?

CHICAGO – Sean Desai very well could be exceptionally bright, highly qualified and the next Vic Fangio, Brandon Staley or Todd Bowles ready to take the Bears defense back to 2018 levels as hands down the best defense in the NFL as their new defensive coordinator.

On the other hand, his eight years in the league, six as a quality control assistant and two as a safeties coach, hardly is what most teams look for most of the time when choosing a new DC.

Is he the right choice or just the easy choice?

Here’s what we learned about what the Bears are thinking after watching Super Bowl LV and the incredible job Bowles did with his Bucs defense.

We continue to hear that Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy believe that they are close to being able to compete for Lombardi trophies and they appear to have convinced George McCaskey they’re correct.

Their considerably large pool of detractors smirk, make snarky comments and scream they are closer to competing for a first overall pick in the draft.

The truth, as usual, probably is somewhere in the middle, but after watching Sunday’s Super Bowl it’s at least possible it leans more to Pace’s and Nagy’s side.

Tom Brady clearly was the Bucs’ MVP this season and although he played remarkably for a 43 year old it was more for his leadership and experience than quarter-to-quarter performance, and just as clearly the defense that got the Bucs to the Super Bowl and won it for them.

When the Bears honchos talk about being close they’re sharing their belief that they already have outstanding defensive personnel, a handful of emerging top offensive talent in David Montgomery, Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet, James Daniels and Cody Whitehair and enough around them that if they can find a quality quarterback, re-sign Allen Robinson, Tashaun Gipson and Cordarrelle Patterson or find like replacements, and then add talent at offensive tackle and a few more young studs in the draft they could be there.

It obviously is a healthy shopping list and whether or not Pace and his crew are the guys to shop well is a fair question, but it’s also not outlandish or difficult to believe it can be done.

What did the Bucs do this year?

And which other NFL team’s ‘D’ most closely resembles the Bucs? Assuming both teams’ lineups are playing at their peaks it is the Bears.

Comparing Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea and William Gholston to Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols you’d probably call it a draw.

Jason Pierre Paul, Shaq Barrett, Devin White and Lavonte David vs. Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan is again probably a draw. It was an edge for the Bucs this year but we’re talking about when all eight are playing to their ceilings and there’s no reason to believe the Bears can’t.

If Eddie Jackson rediscovers himself at safety and Gipson is back next to him, along with Kyle Fuller the Bears rate an edge in talent in the secondary.

The problem, of course, is that none of those Bears but Mack, Fuller and Smith have played near their ceilings the past two seasons since Vic Fangio left, and with a growing tree of Fangio disciples making their impact on defenses around the league and Desai a member of that tribe, we’re told that’s why he got the job.

Nobody designs zone coverages or mixes them with man-to-man and eschews the blitz as much as possible succeeding with stunts, twists and games up front like Fangio, but Bowles came as close as you can vs. the Chiefs.

There are, of course, no options close to Brady available to the Bears at quarterback but there are big steps up from Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles out there, and if the defense can’t get back to its Fangio days it won’t matter anyway when it comes to winning playoff games and saving Pace’s and Nagy’s jobs.

That’s why Desai was the choice. He is the closest link to a Fangio defense the Bears were going to get.

Does Matt Nagy believe he’s found his own Fangio or does he just value coaches he’s comfortable with over their resumes?

Desai’s hiring could prove to be the Bears best move of the coming offseason or the final nail in the coffin of the current regime.