Liam Coen deserves a strong consideration for Bears’ head coach opening

With three games left in the 2024 season and no end in sight for the Chicago Bears’ losing streak that reached eight games, focus has now shifted to who the team will hired to be their new head coach in 2025. There is heated debate among fans and the media regarding several favorites for the job, including Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, as the sole goal needs to be on the development of quarterback Caleb Williams. A offensive coordinator currently having immense success and could be the perfect candidate for Chicago is Tampa Bay play-caller Liam Coen.

Liam Coen has built an impressive resume over the past four years

Although Coen has less experience as an NFL play-caller compared to Johnson, who has been the Lions’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, the current OC for Tampa Bay has a significant background as an offensive coach. Liam Coen has been working both in the NFL and college level as an offensive coach for the past 14 years and has been primarily a play-caller for the four seasons.  The coordinator’s most recent success for the 2024 season, came one year prior when he served as the play-caller for University of Kentucky, which featured a Wildcats’ offense that scored 21 points or more in 11 of their 13 games, including 33 points or more in five contests.

This season, Coen was hired by the Buccaneers following Dave Canales being hired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Tampa Bay’s offense has been one of the best in the NFL in 2024, despite having multiple running backs and injuries to key wide receivers. Liam Coen’s work with Baker Mayfield has been extremely impressive, given their history working together not just this season, but at the end of the 2022 season. The Buccaneers current offensive coordinator was appointed to the same position in 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams, who were coming off a Super Bowl victory in 2021.

Coen was hired by head coach Sean McVay, who is currently seen as one of the best coaches in the NFL and considered to be one of the best offensive minds of this generation of football. Despite being an offensive coordinator for a 5-12 Rams team that was without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford for half the season, Liam Coen’s best work in the month of December. With Mayfield being signed two days before Los Angeles’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the offensive coordinator did a well enough job coaching the veteran quarterback to an 86.4 rating in the final five games of the season.

Most impressive was the first game Coen was the offensive coordinator with Mayfield as McVay chose to have the recently signed veteran play a majority of the game, despite virtually having no practice time and only 48 hours to learn as much of the playbook as possible. The embattled signal-caller led the Rams to a fourth quarter comeback, which included a 98-yard game-winning touchdown drive at the end of the contest to give Los Angeles the victory 17-16. Many NFL analysts praised McVay and Coen’s ability to help ready Mayfield enough to where he was able to execute the offensive system without having much preparation time beforehand.

This season in Tampa Bay, Coen has built off the success of the 2022 game, as Mayfield is viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now, and will likely garner some MVP votes. Through the first 14 weeks of the 2024 season, the Buccaneers quarterback has thrown 32 touchdown passes, has a quarterback rating over 100, and barring injury will throw for over 4,000 yards. Additionally, Liam Coen’s offense is doing this despite the team losing wide receiver Chris Godwin to a season-ending leg injury back in Week 7 and while being without future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans for four weeks.

Coen’s offense as a whole is what stands out the most for him as a play-caller as he is having equal success both passing and running the football in a balanced attack. Tampa Bay’s offensive passing yards and rushing yards rank fourth in the league while the rushing offense has already rushed for over 2,000 yards this season. Liam Coen’s offense is so consistently productive that the unit has scored 30 or more points seven times this year, including in four consecutive games.

Liam Coen has experience developing a first overall quarterback already

Coen’s work with Mayfield is significant to remember when it comes to looking to find the best coach to oversee the development of Williams as a quarterback heading into 2025. Like Mayfield, Chicago’s rookie quarterback was taken first overall in the NFL Draft and has been seen as a generational talent too. Liam Coen’s work with Tampa Bay’s current signal-caller should provide a blueprint for how to develop an elite talent through proper coaching and innovative play design.

The reason for the success for Mayfield, especially during his short stint with the Rams, was because Coen simplified the offense and allowed for expansion to take place after an understanding had been achieved. The same method has unfolded in Tampa Bay this season as the Buccaneers’ offense has consistently gotten better week-by-week despite injuries to several key wide receivers. On the other hand, WIlliams has suffered from regression both as a player and within the offensive scheme as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired after week 11, as Chicago’s offense as a whole regressed mightily midway through the season.

If the Bears’ front office were to hire Coen next month after the completion of the 2024 season or whenever the Tampa Buccaneers are eliminated from the playoffs, it’s likely that an offensive scheme that highlights Williams’ strengths is installed for the beginning of the 2025 season. As next season progresses, Liam Coen will likely expand the offensive scheme to coincide with his quarterback’s continual understanding of the scheme. Chicago’s offensive personnel is similar to Tampa Bay’s, as the Bears will likely feature two quality wide receivers in DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, along with a provide tight end in Cole Kmet and a dual threat running back in D’Andre Swift.

The goal for Chicago as they head into their 2025 coaching search in just two weeks will be able to find the candidate best able to develop Williams into an elite talent. With the requirement in place, it is hard to not want to give Liam Coen a more in-depth consideration given his experience as a play-caller and success in coaching a former first overall quarterback selection. The upcoming offseason will be solely focused on building around Williams, whether it is renovating his offensive line or finding the best coach available that will allow him to have long-term success as a signal-caller for Chicago.