A lengthy list of Chicago Bears head coaching candidates added a new name on Saturday.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports that the Bears are showing interest in Miami Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver as a possible candidate for the team’s vacant head coach position. Admittedly, Weaver wasn’t on my radar as a fit for the head-coaching gig in Chicago. But Russini reports Bears General Manager Ryan Poles “has been doing serious homework” on candidates — including Weaver. Perhaps he is someone we should keep tabs on now that he has been name-checked by a league insider.
Who is Anthony Weaver and why is he a Chicago Bears head coach candidate?
This was an interesting bit of reporting from Russini, who fills us in on why Anthony Weaver’s name is popping up now as a Chicago Bears head coach candidate:
Sources from both the Ravens — where Weaver spent three seasons — and the Dolphins have nothing but praise for his leadership qualities. Currently, the Dolphins rank third in the NFL in total defense — the first time in 22 years they’ve been this high (they ranked third in 2002 as well). Players have a lot of respect for the 44-year-old Weaver, describing him as “high energy,” “emotionally intelligent” and someone who holds players accountable. While we might not have a one-size-fits-all definition of the “leader of men” the Bears say they are looking for, Weaver seems to fit the bill.
On the one hand, I can appreciate the Bears casting a wide net in their search. This franchise isn’t well off enough to turn a blind eye to any worthwhile candidate — even ones who are flying under the radar. HOWEVER, this opening has been open since the day after Thanksgiving. Firing Matt Eberflus on November 29 gave the Kevin Warren-Ryan Poles tag team a 36-day head start on the process of finding a new head coach. So if this team casts too wide of a net, it will make me believe that it did not make the best use of the five weeks allotted to do the necessary background work on candidates.
For what it’s worth, the Bears aren’t the only team connected to Anthony Weaver. Russini mentions Weaver as a possible candidate for a potential Jacksonville Jaguars head coach opening should that team part ways with Doug Pederson this offseason. Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson comes up as a possible person of interest in a theoretical Jaguars coaching search, which is something to monitor in its own right.
Given the Bears’ late-November dismissal of Matt Eberflus, the team should know what it wants in a head coaching candidate now that we have flipped the calendar to January 2025. And because Anthony Weaver has an interesting résumé, I am not opposed to Chicago reaching out to him. But with that being said, the Bears’ last search for a head coach ended with the team hiring an under-the-radar candidate who was billed as a CEO-type head coach and “leader of men” type — and we all know how that ended.
Let me be clear. Anthony Weaver and Matt Eberflus are two very different coaches. And the team’s prior experience with Eberflus should not keep them from pursuing a candidate like Weaver. But I can see where the similarities would be enough to have fans feeling like their favorite team is repeating its doomed history. All things considered, the Bears should be doing everything in their power to not go down any paths that are similar to what led them here in the first place.