The Bears finalized their coaching staff on Wednesday, but on Thursday head coach Matt Eberflus shared an update. Offensive line coach Chris Morgan earned a promotion and will now work as the team’s run game coordinator in addition to coaching up the OL group.
Morgan has proven to be one of the most important position coaches on the Bears over the past two seasons. He played a big role in the team’s decision to select Darnell Wright in the first round of last year’s draft, thanks to the grueling workout and pop quiz he orchestrated for Wright during the pre-draft process.
"They brought me in, and (Morgan) also came and worked me out,” Wright said after he was drafted by the Bears last year. “He kicked my ass, if we’re being honest. He wanted to see what I was made of. It was hard, but I didn’t quit. So I think he respected that.
"He put me through the wringer. We were out there working. You go about … you’re 15 minutes in and you’re going back to back to back. But then you’re still going back-to-back-to-back and another 10 minutes pass. Another maybe 10 minutes pass. He just wanted to see if I’d quit, and I wouldn’t quit."
Morgan also wanted to see how much information Wright could retain at exhaustion, so he asked Wright to recall concepts they had gone over before the workout. Wright passed with flying colors.
Wright isn’t Morgan’s only success story. He also earned praise for helping develop fifth-round draft pick Braxton Jones into a reliable left tackle, and for helping Teven Jenkins transition from tackle to guard.
For his efforts, the Bears made sure he was one of two offensive position coaches that would be retained for 2024, regardless of who they hired to take over at offensive coordinator. In fact, Eberflus revealed that Morgan was “very involved” in the process to hire Shane Waldron as the team's next OC.
Chicago Bears
As the Bears try to take the next step from rebuilders to contenders, it’s clear Morgan will play a big role on Eberflus’ staff. And if the team has success, Morgan will be a coach to keep an eye on for even more responsibilities in the future.
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