For the third time in four seasons, the Bears will hire a defensive coordinator.
Chuck Pagano is retiring, according to multiple sources in the competition. The longtime defensive coach and former Colts head coach has led the Bears’ defense for the past two seasons. It was in the top 10 of both seasons by the Football Outsiders DVOA benchmark.
Matt Nagy will be the one to take the lease as he and GM Ryan Pace are expected to return for the 2021 season.
However, the defense fell short of expectations, given the strong force on that side of the ball. After leading the league in 2018 under Vic Fangio with 36 takeaways, the Bears have combined 37 in Pagano’s two seasons. The pass rush has also eased – after 50 sacks in ’18, the Bears recorded 32 in ’19 and 34 last season.
In the playoff defeat to the Saints, the defense had one of his better performances compared to how he’d played against the Lions, Packers and Vikings …