Terrell Williams to interview with Bears for vacant DC position |
Now that the Bears have hired Shane Waldron as their next OC, it is time for them to take care of the next order of business. This time it comes on the defensive side of the football, where Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles have begun their search for their next Defensive Coordinator.
After Alan Williams was fired early in the season and Eberflus took over the defensive playcalling, you started to see the potential this defense had as they turned themselves into a top-10 unit by season's end. The question on everyone's mind was whether or not Eberflus would continue to call the plays on defense heading into next season or let someone else take the reigns. Interviewing coaches for a defensive coordinator position may signal the end of Eberflus and his play-calling days, but that isn't always the case, as he may still call the plays with assistance from his new DC. After hearing former Bears safety Chris Harris was in line to interview for the position, a second name has popped up in Tennessee Titans Defensive Line coach Terrell Williams. With Mike Vrabel no longer in charge and Brian Callahan being brought in to coach, the future of the Titans staff is in limbo, and the Bears feel very confident in that staff, as both of their reported DC interviews have come from that staff. Although Harris would be a feel-good story should the Bears offer him the job, Williams may be the better bet as he was the team's assistant HC last season, along with his DL coaching duties. Going a bit further, Williams will be the coach of the Senior Bowl this season, putting him up close and personal with many of the incoming draft prospects. That could work in the Bears favor knowing they will have a lot of picks in this years draft so any inside information could be considered good for the Bears at this point. At 49 years old, Williams has been around the game for a long time and has a very extensive coaching background. A graduate of East Carolina, Williams has not only plenty of coaching experience but a lot of that comes on the defensive line, an area of concern heading into the 2023 season. Williams got his start with the then Oakland Raiders in 2012 and stayed with them until the end of the 2014 season. He then went to the Miami Dolphins from 2015-17 before landing with Tennesse in 2018, where he has been ever since. Considering how crucial defensive line excellence is for Matt Eberflus’s scheme, it makes sense that one of his first interviews for the defensive coordinator position was with a long-time defensive line coach. One cool thing about Williams is that he does have one game of head coaching experience, and it came against the Chicago Bears this past season. Granted, it was only a preseason game, but Vrabel felt so confident in Williams that he let him be the head coach for the first preseason game against Chicago. Although coaching a preseason game isn't like a real game, getting some head coaching exposure will only help further down the coaching journey. As an assistant Head Coach, Williams already had some smaller responsibilities that most Head Coaches have, but he was forced to use those responsibilities on an even bigger stage. Whether or not that leads to a head coaching opportunity or not down the road is a different question to ask, but he at least can say he has experienced life as a Head Coach before, even if it was a one-game stint. Getting back to why the Bears want to bring him in. For the Eberflus scheme to be at its best, they needed to get pressure from the defensive line, which they could not do until Montez Sweat came aboard. Adding a guy like Williams will not only help coach up the defensive line, but will bring an added dimension to the Eberflus scheme that could be carried out. The ultimate goal for any assistant coach is to one day become a head coach in this league. Should the Bears appoint him as their DC, it could be the stepping stone he needs to get the HC opportunity down the road.
