For the third time in four seasons, the Bears are hiring a defense coordinator.
According to several league sources, Chuck Pagano will retire. The longtime defensive coach and former head coach of the Colts has managed the Bears defense for the past two seasons. It ranked both seasons among the top 10 of the Football Outsiders DVOA benchmark.
Matt Nagy will hire the renter as he and GM Ryan Pace are expected to return for the 2021 season.
However, the defense did not live up to expectations, considering the star power on that side of the ball. After leading the league in 2018 under Vic Fangio with 36 takeaways, the Bears combined for 37 in Pagano’s two seasons. The pace has also slowed down – after 50 bags in ’18, the Bears recorded 32 in ’19 and 34 last season.
In the playoffs against the Saints, the defense had one of its better performances compared to the way it played against the Lions, Packers and Vikings …