Bears’ head-coaching opening isn’t NFL’s most appealing, but it has potential

The combination of Khalil Mack (52) and Robert Quinn is a good starting point for the incoming coach to turn the Bears around. | Kamil Krzaczynski, AP Photos

With the potential of QB Justin Fields and some quality holdovers from the one-great defense, whoever takes over the Bears has a shot. It’s not the best opportunity, but it’s also not the worst.

Jacksonville isn’t exactly one of Florida’s dreamiest destinations, but it could be a football paradise for whoever lands the job as the Jaguars’ next coach.

While the organization is coming off a nightmare season in which it fired coach Urban Meyer and piled up losses, it has a lot to offer going forward. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is widely expected to be a future star even after a rough rookie season, the team has the No. 1 pick in the draft this year and boasts the second-most salary-cap space heading into next season.

No matter how laughable the Jaguars have been, that’s an enticing opportunity.

The Bears are vying for a new general manager and head coach with a situation that’s not quite as glamorous.

There’s no verdict on quarterback Justin Fields after one season, thanks largely to the failures of the previous administration. They’d be eyeing a game changer with the No. 7 overall pick, except Ryan Pace traded it away last year. And significant money has been kicked down the road over the last few seasons, though OverTheCap calculated them to rank 12th in cap space for 2022.

It could be worse, of course. At least the Bears aren’t the Texans.

That’s a low bar, though. Of the eight head-coaching openings, the Raiders, Broncos and Dolphins join the Jaguars as more attractive opportunities than the one they’re trying to fill at Halas Hall. The Vikings, Giants and Texans are at the bottom.

Any coach with leverage will weigh the odds of succeeding quickly with their new team because they know there’s always a small window to show progress.

The Bears’ recruiting pitch to a candidate who is in such demand that he can choose among multiple destinations — Brian Daboll, Dan Quinn and Brian Flores likely will fall into that category — has to start with Fields and the defense.

While it’s difficult to assess Fields after one haphazard season playing in Matt Nagy’s offense and scrambling for safety behind the offensive line Pace assembled, he went into the draft as the most accomplished, polished quarterback other than Lawrence.

That projection will surely be tarnished in some minds after he registered a 73.2 passer rating with seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 58.9 completion percentage. Fields also rushed for 420 yards and two touchdowns, but fumbled 12 times.

Still, there were moments when he showcased exactly the skills teams covet in the modern NFL. He’s accurate on deep shots. He has the speed of a wide receiver. And he showed steady improvement in mastering the offense and reading coverage. He hasn’t arrived yet, but he’s headed the right direction.

It’s the opposite with the Bears’ defense, which arrived in 2018 with one of the best seasons in recent NFL history and gradually slid from elite to good to just OK.

But there are enough quality players, especially up front, to appeal to prospective coaches. And if the Bears move quickly enough, they might be able to keep Sean Desai on board as defensive coordinator.

Desai did a good job this season in spite of being severely hampered by Pace’s personnel mistakes. The Bears went into the opener with one proven cornerback on the roster and spent all season shuffling players who likely would’ve been on practice squads elsewhere.

He made good use of his assets, though. Khalil Mack had six sacks in seven games before going on injured reserve, and Robert Quinn broke the franchise record with 18.5. The team was fourth in the NFL in sacks, up from 17th under Chuck Pagano the previous season.

And even with Akiem Hicks nearly certain to depart in free agency, the defensive line has potential if Eddie Goldman rebounds, Khyiris Tonga continues developing and Bilal Nichols re-signs.

At inside linebacker, the Bears have one of the best in the NFL in Roquan Smith and they figure to make him a cornerstone of the rebuild with a massive contract extension.

Fields’ potential and what’s left of the once-great defense would give the new coach a chance. And considering most head-coaching jobs open up because things have gone horribly wrong, having a chance is pretty enticing.

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