Bears Hiring Defensive Help But Not a Coordinator

Bears coach Matt Eberflus on Monday put to rest thoughts he might be bringing back former Bears assistant Rod Marinelli to take over as his defensive coordinator.

He's not hiring a defensive coordinator to replace Alan Williams, he's not hiring Marinelli and he is hiring someone to help but only doing advance work on upcoming opponents' offenses for his defensive preparation.

Marinelli was Bears defensive line coach, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Lovie Smith from 2009-12 and a mentor for Eberflus in Dallas at one time.

"He's very comfortable in retirement," Eberflus said. "He's out in Vegas right now. We talk weekly, though. For sure."

Eberflus had said Friday he is going to continue calling defenses following Williams' resignation, so it became apparent then the hiring—if one came—would be in some other capacity.

"Relative to the position on defense that we're looking at right now, and that position really for me is more of an analyst, more of a senior defensive analyst that would do advanced work for us for the upcoming opponent," Eberflus said Monday. "It would give us certainly ideas and things, how to attack that upcoming opponent. Just to get another set of eyes for advancing for us in that.

"Again, I don't have names. I don't have a timetable for that right now at this time. But that will be coming shortly. And we're looking forward to adding that—if we choose to do that."

It sounds like whoever it is could be taking a work-from-home job, at least partly.

"We're still working through that," Eberflus said. "That's definitely a possibility: in the building, working partly remotely so we can do either one.:"

They have isolated their candidates, so a hiring is expected soon.

"Really just looking at a few guys," he said. "I think it's important to get the right guy. But certainly experience helps when you're looking at that position. Certainly somebody that's been in the league a while or has been in the league.

"I think that’s important that way but also knows your defense a little bit too, so I think that's good. But again, we're on-going in the process of that and hopefully we'll get that going shortly."