Candidates Emerge For Chicago Bears’ General Manager Vacancy

Nov 27, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; General view of a Chicago Bears helmet on the sidelines against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The plan for the Chicago Bears is to hire their general manager before hiring their head coach. Bears’ consultant Ernie Accorsi is already at work in identifying candidates for the general managerial position and has three candidates near the top of his list. 

Chicago Bears’ consultant Ernie Accorsi has wasted no time in trying to find the next general manager of the Bears.

According to a report from Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times, Accorsi has already identified three candidates that are at the top of his list. Those candidates are New York Giants’ vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross, Tennessee Titans’ vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson, and Ravens’ pro personnel director Vince Newsome. The report also indicates that Kansas City Chiefs’ director of player personnel Chris Ballard could be the front-runner for the position.

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With Ballard, there could be some concern considering his relationship with each of the Bears’ past two general managers. Ballard was hired by former Bears’ general manager Jerry Angelo and was later promoted by former Bears’ general manager Phil Emery. Ballard spent 12 seasons with the Bears before leaving for Kansas City in 2013.

A source cited in Finley’s report spoke highly of Ballard.

"[Chicago Tribune]“He’s an outstanding personnel man who’s got a tremendous knowledge of how to build a team and knows how to work with people,” one NFL source said."

Accorsi has typically followed a pattern when he has consulted for general manager hirings. The pattern is that Accorsi usually plucks from the Giants’ front office tree. That was the case when Accorsi consulted on Dave Gettleman’s hire as Carolina Panthers’ general manager in 2013.

If that pattern continues for the Bears, then that may be an encouraging sign for Ross. Ross, who is currently with the Giants, was interviewed by the Bears after the 2010 season when the team was looking for a replacement for Angelo. The Bears ultimately hired Emery instead of Ross.

As for Dawson, here is part of his bio on the Tennessee Titans’ official website:

"A highly-respected talent evaluator, Dawson assists general manager Ruston Webster and head coach Ken Whisenhunt with the team’s daily roster moves and all transactions via free agency and the annual NFL Draft. In his role, he manages draft meetings, assists with all draft selections and oversees off-season pro personnel free agent visits or acquisitions. He scouts all levels of professional football, including the NFL, CFL and Arena Football League. In addition to his various football operations responsibilities, he assists with contract negotiations. In 2013, he was selected to participate in the prestigious NFL’s Career Development Symposium at the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia."

Meanwhile, here is Newsome’s bio on the Ravens’ official website:

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"Vincent Newsome is in his fifth year as the team’s director of pro personnel. Newsome oversees the team’s pro scouting efforts, including evaluating NFL free agent talent, providing the coaching staff with advance scouting reports of upcoming opponents and conducting free agent workouts throughout the year. He works closely with GM Ozzie Newsome in analyzing NFL rosters, reviewing the waiver wire daily, and coordinating and evaluating each year’s free agency market. Newsome also works with VP of football administration Pat Moriarty in providing background on players, specifically to assess their talent level and decide a salary cap value. In 2008, he served on the eight-member committee to interview and select Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Newsome originally joined the franchise’s personnel department in 1993, following a 10-year career as a safety in the NFL."

The Bears intend to hire their general manager before hiring their head coach. That is a wise choice for the Bears as that would put the new general manager and new head coach in lockstep. Though, the Bears likely need to have a new general manager in place relatively soon or else the team will risk missing out on one their targets for their head coaching position.