“EXCLUSIVE: Ravens Mastermind Emerges as Top Contender for Bears Offensive Overhaul!
The latest reported Bears offensive coordinator candidate seems to suggest they’re at least considering keeping Justin Fields and trading the No. 1 draft pick in a manner like they did last year.
GM Ryan Poles had said they were open to anything and could decide in April. Their latest reported candidate for offensive coordinator is someone who has experience devising an offense for a running quarterback like Fields.
According to a report by NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, the Bears interviewed former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Roman, another in a series of NFL coaches from the Ohio football hotbed of John Carroll University, was Jim Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers when they were in the Super Bowl after the 2012 season, and in 2019 had the No. 2-ranked NFL offense under John Harbaugh with Lamar Jackson as quarterback for the Ravens.
Roman is one of the most experienced of five reported Bears offensive coordinator candidates. He was fired during the 2022 season in Baltimore.
While it would seem a Roman hiring would mean Fields’ return, there is a chance this wouldn’t be the case. USC’s Caleb Williams is also a mobile QB, although he runs much less than Fields does.
Roman was 49ers OC from 2011-14, then Buffalo’s offensive coordinator in 2015-16 and then Ravens OC 2019-22.
Three of his 49ers offenses ranked in the top five in scoring. The Ravens were No. 1 in scoring in 2019 and 2020. His worst offense was in Buffalo. The Bills were ranked 20th overall with Tyrod Taylor at QB under coach Anthony Lynn.
In 2019, Jackson led the NFL in TD passes (36) and had a passer rating of 113.3. It was his second season as he was named NFL MVP. He also rushed for an NFL QB rushing record of 1,206 yards that season and led the NFL in yards per attempt.
Roman, 51, started out in the NFL at Carolina in 1995 as strength and conditioning coach, then was offensive line assistant. He was Texans tight ends coach in 2002-03 and quarterbacks coach in 2004-05 before going to the Ravens for two years as an offensive line assistant. He was in high school and college coaching for three years after this and then re-emerged with Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco after two years as Stanford associate head coach. He also was a tight ends coach for the Ravens two years before becoming offensive coordinator.