The Bears promoted Sean Desai Friday from safety coach to defense coordinator. The 37-year-old replaces Chuck Pagano, who announced on January 13 after 36 years in coaching.
Desai was originally appointed by the Bears in 2013 and is the only remaining post of former coach Marc Trestman. Desai spent six seasons from 2013 to 18 as a defensive quality control assistant before being promoted to a safety coach in 2019.
“We are very happy and excited to promote from within and announce that Sean Desai has been appointed as the defense coordinator for our football team,” coach Matt Nagy said in a statement. ‘He’s a person with high football intelligence, extremely detail oriented, has a very strong work ethic and I can not think of anyone who deserves more to lead our defense.
“Sean is a family man with a high character and the respect he has in our building of coaches, players and staff is unmatched.”
In his role as a quality control assistant, Desai worked with the Bears’ defensive backs and lineouts, while also assisting on special teams.
While the Bears were looking for a replacement for Pagano, former Bears linebacker Sam Acho offered a strong endorsement from Desai. In one Twitter post, Acho writes: “The Bears do not have to look far for their next DC. Sean Desai has been ready for the role for years. He was the right-hand man of Vic Fangio for 4 years, and helped defend the defense. create. to greatness. Smart, talented, knows ball and has all the credentials. All he needs is an opportunity. “
In response to fans, Acho tweeted: ‘Desai is a spitting image of [former Bears outside linebackers coach and current Chargers head coach] Brandon Staley. Brilliant defensive minds, the scheme is not this world. “And”[the scheme] would be the same as what you saw in 2018 with Vic [Fangio]. “
Desai began his coaching career at Temple, his alma mater, in 2006 and spent five seasons as a defensive assistant and coach of special teams. As a special team coordinator in 2010, at the age of 27, he was one of the youngest coordinators in college football.
Desai was assistant director of football operations at the University of Miami (Fla.) In 2011 before spending the 2012 season as a coach and a special team coordinator at Boston College.
Desai earned his doctorate in educational administration in May 2008, with an emphasis on higher education, and served as deputy professor at the school in 2009 and 2010, teaching in the master’s and doctoral programs in education administration.
In two seasons under Pagano, the Bears defense finished fourth in the NFL in allowed points (18.6 per game) and eighth in yards (324.1) in 2019 and 13th in points (23.0) and 11th in yards (347.3) in 2020.
The defense rebounded during the 2020 season. The unit has conceded just nine appearances in the first six games of the year, helping the Bears to a 5-1 record. In the last six games of the regular season, however, the defense has allowed 21 TDs.
The decline was particularly important in two key areas: After finishing first in the NFL in both the red-zone touchdown percentage and the efficiency of third place in their first eight games, the Bears finished 31st in both categories. scored over their last eight games.
Ragone, London joins Falcons
In other coaching news, the team that left coordinator Dave Ragone, and coach Charles London, left the team to join the Falcons under new head coach Arthur Smith. Ragone becomes Atlanta’s attacking coordinator, while London moves on to the quarterback’s coach.
Ragone joined the Bears in 2016 as coach under John Fox and was the only attacking coach to remain with the team when Nagy was appointed in 2018. Ragone continued through the 2019 season as coach of the fullback before serving as a passing game coordinator in 2020.
London has spent the past three seasons as a coach under Nagy. It was London’s second game with the Bears, who have been an offensive quality control assistant on coach Lovie Smith’s staff since 2007-’09. London also served as a fullback coach in college at Duke (2006) and Penn State (2012-13) and in the NFL alongside the Texans (2014-17). His role with the Falcons is his first coach as a quarterback.