Chicago Bears take immense first step this offseason, fill out vacancies

The Chicago Bears filled out their final offensive coaching vacancy by hiring Chad Morton to be the running backs coach.

The Chicago Bears finished a huge first step in their offseason plans by filling out their position coaching vacancies. Per the Chicago Sun Times’ Jason Lieser, they hired Chad Morton to be the new running backs coach. They had a busy 24 hours after also hiring Chris Beatty to be the wide receivers coach and Thomas Brown to be the passing game coordinator.

Morton, 46, is the second coach that new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron poached from the Seattle Seahawks. Both he and Brown worked with Waldron in Seattle and now reunite in Chicago.

Morton was the New Orleans Saints fifth-round pick in 2000. He played over seven seasons for four teams. After retiring, he started his coaching career with the Green Bay Packers as their special teams assistant. He was there from 2010-2013 before he went to Seattle. He started there in the same position he had in Green Bay. From 2015-2016 he was their running backs assistant.

In 2017, Morton became the Seahawks’ running backs coach. His unit struggled that first year, finishing 28th in rushing. He quickly turned things around, however. The next season the Seahawks ranked #1.

In 2023, the Seahawks ranked 28th. However, things were a mess in Seattle behind the scenes. That is a big reason why the Seahawks let him go at the end of the season. It was a surprise to many that happened. It was under consideration for a while, however. Now, Seattle’s loss is the Chicago Bears’ gain.

Morton now takes over a Chicago running backs unit that ranked first overall in 2022 and second in 2023. There likely will be some changes, though. D’Onta Foreman will be a free agent. The Chicago Bears aren’t expected to re-sign him.

Morton has experience developing young running backs

Morton developed young running backs like Kenneth Walker and Zach Charnonnet. He also helped get the most out of Chris Carson. Now he will be charged with helping Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson, plus whoever else the Bears pick up, either through free agency or the draft.

Morton does a good job of bonding with his players. Being a former player he understands their thinking and can communicate what he wants in a way they can relate.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has taken the first step in this critical offseason. The staff hired have similar philosophies and have worked with each other in some way so the coaches are already comfortable with each other. That will make the transition easier for the players to learn a new system.

He has a lot of decisions to make in free agency and the draft. There are many holes to fill and he needs to decide whether he should keep quarterback Justin Fields or goes with the likely #1 pick, Caleb Williams. That decision could alter the fortunes of the Chicago Bears for years to come.

Before he makes those decisions, however, he needs to have a staff in place. Days after the final game of the season, he fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, along with nearly his entire staff. He hired a staff that, while the coaches are young, they have good experience. They are a better fit for a team that is one of the youngest ones in the NFL. There is also a good mix of former players that makes the connection to the current players even stronger.

Now, with those positions filled, as well as the defensive coordinator job with the hiring of Eric Washington, he could go out and make player personnel decisions. Now that he is ready to make decisions on the roster, it is time for us to buckle up because the rest of the Chicago Bears offseason is sure to be a bumpy and amazing ride.