No matter what decision the Chicago Bears make about their quarterback situation, they are building a new system to develop the position.
Four days later hiring Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator, the Bears added another assistant to the team with Kerry Joseph coming from Seattle to be the new quarterbacks coach on Matt Eberflus’ staff.
The Bears announced the move on Friday evening.
Waldron and Joseph worked together for the last three seasons, with Joseph being the Seahawks assistant wide receivers coach in 2021 and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2022 and 2023. Now, he will have bigger responsibilities in the quarterbacks room at Halas Hall. At a crucial time for the organization, he will be in charge of the development of either three-year starter Justin Fields or a player selected in April’s draft.
Joseph was part of the offensive staff in Seattle in 2022, with Waldron and quarterbacks coach Dave Canales, when quarterback Geno Smith revived his career with a Pro Bowl performance that earned him Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Joseph, 50, will serve as the quarterbacks coach for the American Team at the Senior Bowl next week. He replaces Andrew Janocko, who the Bears fired along with coordinator Luke Getsy this month after the team’s passing offense ranked 27th in the NFL averaging 182.1 yards per game.
The Bears still need to hire wide receivers and running backs coaches for their offensive staff. They are also interviewing defensive coordinator candidates..
Sanjay Lal, who spent the last two seasons as the Seahawks passing game coordinator and receivers coach, was considered for the Bears receivers coach job but decided Friday to explore other opportunities, according to a source. The Bears are still competing to complete their coaching staff, as eight teams aimed to find new head coaches this month. Six of those vacancies have since been filled, with those teams working to complete their staffs.
Before joining the Seahawks, Joseph was the passing game coordinator and running backs coach at Southeastern Louisiana in 2019. He started his coaching career at McNeese State, where he was the co-offensive coordinator for three seasons and worked with the wide receivers and quarterbacks.
Joseph was also a quarterback at McNeese State but switched to safety in the NFL. He played in 56 games over four seasons with the Seahawks. He also played quarterback in the Canadian Football League and NFL Europe.
On Tuesday, the Bears officially hired Waldron, who was the Seahawks offensive coordinator for three seasons after four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.
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