Chicago Bears: Sean Desai must focus on these defensive priorities

Friday, the Chicago Bears announced they were going to promote Sean Desai to replace Chuck Pagano at defensive coordinator.

The Bears entered a pivotal offseason with several questions looming. One of the bigger questions was how this defense would return to its 2018 form. Fortunately, the team received a blessing in disguise when Pagano retired.

This unit was playing far from their potential under Pagano for the last two seasons, and with his retirement came the possibility of hiring a more fitting candidate.

Enter: Sean Desai, who has spent the past two seasons as the Bears’ safeties coach. Desai has been with the Bears since 2013 when he was hired as a quality control coach. Back in 2006, Desai began his coaching career at Temple — which so happens to be the place where he earned a doctorate in educational administration.

The Bears knew what they were doing giving Desai the keys to this defense. He’s not just football smart, but incredibly wise in general.

One of the best parts about this hire is the fact that Desai was trusted by former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fagnio. Desai was his top assistant in terms of preparing for opposing offenses and drawing up game plans.

Fangio trusted Desai so much so, that he attempted to hire him back in 2019 when he left Chicago for the Denver Broncos. However, the Bears disallowed that from happening because they wanted to keep Desai around.

Going forward, Desai will have his hands full — but in a good way. He has some things he needs to focus on, but luckily for him, he has most of the personnel to get the job done.