Getty Current Buffalo Bills DC Leslie Frazier is linked to the Bears head coaching gig when Matt Nagy is out.
When the Chicago Bears won their only Super Bowl in franchise history, they did it with a former player, Mike Ditka, coaching the team. Now, according to two of the most tuned-in insiders in the league, another former Bears player is said to be gaining steam as the favorite to replace head coach Matt Nagy.
In a December 8 report for ESPN, insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano revealed that should the Bears part ways with Nagy — and barring a miracle in the next five games, they will — there are already “rumblings” around the league as to who the team is eyeing to replace him. As it turns out, it’s a former member of the vaunted 1985 Super Bowl-winning Bears squad.
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‘Fair Bit of Smoke’ Around Leslie Frazier
According to Fowler and Graziano, the Bears are interested in current Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who played for the Bears from 1981-85, winning the Super Bowl under Ditka in his final year in the NFL.
“There’s a fair bit of smoke connecting Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to Chicago. The question then would be who he would bring as offensive coordinator to oversee the development of Fields,” Fowler and Graziano reported, adding:
“Current Bills quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey could be a candidate, though he is also a candidate to get the Bills’ offensive coordinator job if the current holder of that job, Brian Daboll, gets a head-coaching job elsewhere. Daboll remains high on the list of candidates expected to get interviews this time around, as he was last year. … Bills owner Kim Pegula has been a strong backer of Frazier as a (head coaching) candidate in recent years. Frazier, who coached the Vikings from 2010 to ’13, was a finalist for the Texans’ job last year.”
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Leslie Frazier: Coaching Background & Resumé
The 62-year-old Frazier has been coaching since 1988, and he has head coaching experience in the league, as he was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for over three years, serving as interim coach in 2010 before going on to coach for three full seasons. He had a 21-32 record in Minnesota, but it’s common for first-time head coaches to stumble a bit.
He has done well since, having successful stints in Buffalo and Baltimore with the Ravens. Since joining the Bills, his defenses have allowed 22.4 points a game in 2017, 23.4 points and 294.1 yards a game in 2018 (they finished second in total defense that year), 16.2 points (2nd) and 298.3 yards per game (3rd) in 2019 and 23.4 points (16th) and 352.5 yards (14th) in 2020.
After an uncharacteristically mediocre season defensively last year, the Bills currently have the top defense in the NFL, allowing 272.3 yards and 16.3 points a game.
Here’s a look at Frazier’s coaching resumé:
- Trinity International University (1988–1996) — Head coach
- University of Illinois (1997–1998) — Defensive backs coach
- Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2002) — Defensive backs coach
- Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2004) — Defensive coordinator
- Indianapolis Colts (2005) — Defensive assistant
- Indianapolis Colts (2006) — Assistant head coach & defensive backs coach
- Minnesota Vikings (2007–2010) — Defensive coordinator
- Minnesota Vikings (2008–2010) — Assistant head coach
- Minnesota Vikings Interim head coach (2010)
- Minnesota Vikings Head coach (2011–2013)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014–2015) — Defensive coordinator
- Baltimore Ravens (2016) — Secondary coach
- Buffalo Bills (2017–present) — Assistant head coach & defensive coordinator
It’s an impressive resumé, to be sure, and his having experience as a head coach is a definite asset, but the Bears may want to look long and hard at the top candidates who have an established history of developing young quarterbacks, particularly with Justin Fields waiting in the wings.
The Bears could do a lot worse than Frazier, who is a formidable defensive coach. But in an offensive league, the development of Fields is key. Chicago should do its due diligence on the offensive side of the coaching spectrum, as well. It’s early, and this is one report, so they likely will.
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Member of ’85 Bears Gaining Steam as Matt Nagy’s Replacement: Report