Chicago Bears: Kellen Moore has the potential to be as disastrous as Matt Nagy

As the Chicago Bears start doing their homework on future head-coaching candidates, I’ve seen a lot of push for Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. However, I think Kellen Moore would be one of the worst hires the Bears could make coming off of Matt Nagy’s tenure.

I know this is a bold take especially considering how good the Cowboys have looked this year. Frankly, I think Kellen Moore is a terrific OC who has done a lot of good things for Dallas and certainly has the potential to be a head coach one day, BUT not yet. There are too many boxes he hasn’t checked off because he simply doesn’t have the experience yet.

When Matt Nagy was hired, it was with one goal in mind: to develop Mitchell Trubisky into a franchise quarterback the Bears could show off for the next 15 years. Obviously, as we all know, that plan failed spectacularly albeit for one special drive in Soldier Field that was immediately followed by the double doink.

Now think of your biggest criticisms of Matt Nagy and why his tenure is probably coming to an end (excluding the obvious answer of Mitchell Trubisky). If I had to guess the top three probably go something like this:

1. Inability to adjust his gameplan and poor playcalling
2. Poor game/clock management
3. Lack of player discipline (i.e., penalties)

What do all three of these things have in common? They’re gained through experience on the sideline. Kellen Moore has spent two years as the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator after a short career playing quarterback in the NFL (for Detroit and Dallas). Everything he knows about running a team was likely formed from these experiences.

Would the Chicago Bears really want to hire someone who’s learned everything he knows about coaching from Mike McCarthy?

Kellen Moore is not ready to lead one of the marquee NFL franchises like the Chicago Bears, he needs more experience.

Hiring Kellen Moore would be a sign that the Chicago Bears don’t believe Nagy’s issues had nothing to do with experience – a sentiment that is a complete fallacy. Referring back to Nagy’s issues, let’s look at the first one: an inability to adjust his scheme and playcalling.

Matt Nagy clings to his scheme because it is literally the only thing he’s known. He’s spent 9 years under Andy Reid learning this system and was their offensive coordinator and play-caller for a Chiefs team that was a top 10 offense in every relevant category in 2018 before he was hired.

As a result, after 2018, when other teams felt they had a blueprint on what the Chicago Bears are trying to do, the bottom fell out. Due to the lack of variety and diversity of experience in his resume, the one thing he hung his hat on as a coach (i.e., scheme and playcalling) all of a sudden became nullified. Now, an offense that was supposed to rank in the top 10 across the board, now ranks in the bottom 5 in every major category.

This is a very real possibility for Kellen Moore as well. The NFL is still learning about his tendencies and scheme. Once that’s figured out, there is literally nothing to suggest he can learn to adjust these things to help his team. Banking on him to figure it out as he goes is not something I’d gamble with if I’m the Chicago Bears.

Additionally, consider this: Matt Nagy was a former QB who coached QBs. What is Kellen Moore if not the exact same thing except with a slightly better playing career? NFL teams are made up of 53 players, coaches need to be able to coach everyone and understand every position. The best coaches in the league: the Tomlins, Paytons, Harbaughs all have 10+ years of experience as an assistant. That has value, scheme is not everything.

I’ve said this from the beginning, but as the Kellen Moore talk has gotten more traction I feel compelled to say it again: the Chicago Bears need to pair Justin Fields with a commanding leader, not an offensive guru. Whether it’s Ryan Day from Ohio State, perhaps Brian Daboll from Buffalo, or someone else – the Chicago Bears cannot repeat the mistake they made in 2018 when they undervalued the importance of a coach’s resume and diversity of experience in the hiring process.