The Chicago Bears are eager to make the most of former number-one overall pick Caleb Williams after enduring a series of disappointments at the quarterback position. Unfortunately, Williams’s inaugural NFL season provided little reassurance that he could lead the franchise to success. The Bears initially kicked off the season with a promising 4-2 record under head coach Matt Eberflus, but they faltered to a final record of 5-12, culminating in Eberflus’s mid-season dismissal following a humiliating Thanksgiving Day defeat. In the aftermath, Chicago appointed former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach, who has since focused on assembling his coaching staff.
Recent reports confirm that Johnson has secured a significant addition to his team. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “The (Bears) are hiring former (Jaguars) OC Press Taylor as their passing game coordinator, sources say, a key hire for Ben Johnson and OC Declan Doyle. Taylor adds experience and expertise in Chicago, plus another voice for Caleb Williams.”
The #Bears are hiring former #Jaguars OC Press Taylor as their passing game coordinator, sources say, a key hire for Ben Johnson and OC Declan Doyle.
Taylor adds experience and expertise in Chicago, plus another voice for Caleb Williams. pic.twitter.com/ZFx5vhRkbK
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2025
This hire is noteworthy given that Taylor’s last season saw him working with Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who experienced a noticeable regression, leading to significant changes in the Jaguars’ coaching staff after the season. Fans have shared their thoughts on social media regarding this new appointment. One fan commented, “Pass Game Coordinator is essentially the guy who does the ‘grunt work’ for the OC. To be trusted to call plays in JAX, he had to show he could do everything else extremely well. He won’t even be 2nd in line to call plays here.” Another added, “He wasn’t hired to design the plays or to be the playcaller. He was hired to analyze the route concepts that could work against opposing DBs, study opposing DB’s tendencies, and analyze the different angles they could attack the opposing teams.” A more skeptical fan quipped, “talented alright… he somehow managed to get Doug Pederson fired, not once, but twice. Good luck, Chicago.”
It’ll be intriguing to see how Taylor performs in his new position.
