Report: Bears hire new quarterback coach Kerry Joseph |
With Shane Waldron, the new OC for the Chicago Bears, it was only a matter of time before he started to round out his staff. After spending the past several days calling coaches and trying to piece things together, Waldron has finally found his first coach, a familiar face in Kerry Joseph.
Joseph was most recently a part of the Seattle Seahawks staff as the team's Assistant QBs coach, so he has already worked hand in hand with Waldron the past few years. That alone is worth noting, as both of them will know what the other one likes to do and will do what they need to do to get the most out of this offense. Joseph was a long-time defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks from 1988-2001. Although 13 seasons on the defensive seems like a long time, keep that from fooling you, as Joseph has a strong background as an offensive player, just as strong as his defensive player values. After his time with the Seahawks, Joseph would go on to play quarterback in the Canadian Football League, where he’d be a Grey Cup Champion, CFL All-Star, and winner of the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award in 2007. Not many players can say they have done that alone, so credit him for doing something extremely rare. Before his coaching days in the NFL, Joseph started his coaching at the collegiate level, which is how many of today's coaches get going. As part of the McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana staff, Joseph held several roles throughout the offensive side of the ball, including Co-Offensive Coordinator, WRs Coach, Quarterbacks Coach, and Running Backs Coach. He was also appointed interim head coaching duties several times, so he does have minimal head coaching experience. Getting to his NFL days, in particular his days with the Seahawks, Joseph has been an Offensive Assistant (2020), Assistant WRs Coach (2021), and Assistant QBs Coach (2022-present). Given the wide variety of roles he has filled in his years, Joseph could be one of those guys to coach different parts each season but expect him to take over the QB coach role this season. Not only does the playing history make him an intriguing option, but coaches who were former players are becoming more frequent, and that alone could be an excellent get for Chicago. Looking at how Joseph handled Russell Wilson and Geno Smith the past few seasons has given the Bears some confidence that, if paired with Waldron, they can help Justin Fields reach his full potential. We knew that Waldron would make many changes to his staff, and many expected some of those changes to come from the Seahawks staff. Joseph is not only from the Seahawks staff, but he is the first of a lot of dominos falling into place for the offensive side of the ball. Chicago had a mission when they were looking for their next offensive coordinator, as they knew the success of Fields or Caleb Williams would fall into the hands of a new OC and potential QB coach. Adding Waldron and Joseph together after working together the past three seasons seems like a package deal and something planned from the very start if Waldron was given this position. Until the Bears give us a clear sense of what they are doing at QB, Waldron and his staff will be forced to create two different offensive schemes. You have the one geared toward Fields and his strengths, as Joseph will be working to revive Fields' career. You then have the potential of Chicago drafting Williams; therefore, a game plan built around his strengths will need to come into play. These men are determined to do that and are ready for the challenge ahead as the Bears offense will look drastically different in 2024.
