The Chicago Bears head coaching search received unexpected attention with a report about their practices for conducting it. However, the search continues, with several more candidates yet to undergo a second interview and none having a second yet. Among those vying for the Bears job is Brian Flores.
Currently the defensive coordinator for the rival Minnesota Vikings, he also brings head coaching experience.
Brian Flores’ Aggressive Approach Could Be Welcomed Change
Record: 24-25
Playoff Record: N/A
Bears Defense Could See Jolt From Brian Flores
Flores’ track record of turning defenses into formidable units. The Vikings ranked fifth in scoring and were No. 2 against the run in 2024. That is one year after they ranked 13th in scoring and eighth against the run.
Flores orchestrated a similar turnaround from Year 1 to Year 2 as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, elevating them from 32nd in 2019 to the No. 6 scoring unit in 2020.
There were some ominous commonalities between the stints.
First, Flores-coached defenses have ranked better than 24th against the pass once, with the 2021 Dolphins ranking 16th. That is partly a function of his aggressiveness, either dropping into coverage or, more often than not, sending additional rushers after the quarterback.
.@UnoErra snags it!
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/wzbuV3yS8a
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 22, 2024
A sack-starved team like the Bears – who were also often burned by their soft coverage in recent seasons – could benefit from the creativity Flores will bring.
He has also seen his run defenses improve every season from Miami until this past season.
Ominously, though, Flores’ Dolphins saw a step back in Year 3, dropping to the 16th-best scoring group. But his team still went 9-3 to close the season despite splitting the campaign between two starting quarterbacks.
Flores has worked his way up the NFL ranks, starting as a scouting assistant for the New England Patriots in 2004 after his playing career ended at Boston College.
There, he was teammates with Bears general manager Poles.
He has worked solely on the defensive side of the ball as a coach when not in the head chair, and he also had a stop with the Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike Tomlin between his Dolphins and Vikings tenures.
The Caleb Williams Question
Ironically, that 2020 season was the worst offense that Flores’ Dolphins fielded. However, the most concerning part of his tenure, particularly for Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, was the stories that emerged after it.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa now-infamously lambasted Flores’ approach with him in particular, painting the coach as a tormentor rather than someone who tried to build him up.
Flores addressed the claims, saying he hopes to continue growing. The two have not spoken.
Williams, for his part, has said that he wants to be coached. And the idea of coaches getting second chances this offseason. However, the Bears must ask themselves if the risk of taking that chance is worth potentially damaging their young QB.
Williams has also said that – selfishly – he would prefer an offensive-minded head coach. His logic of desiring continuity should resonate with Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
More importantly, it should resonate with Bears president Kevin Warren.
Flores is also mired in an ongoing lawsuit against several NFL franchises and the league itself over racial discrimination. That was another part of the Bears’ report from ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, which exposed the family-business-esque way the Bears have conducted previous searches.
The Bears are one of several interviews Flores has or will take this hiring cycle, and his players in Minnesota have raved about him.
After facing him four times in the past four years, the Bears surely know what he can do.