Even in a head coach search that is closer to having 20 candidates than it is a top five, the Chicago Bears found a way to be even more unconventional. They vowed to be thorough and cannot be charged as doing otherwise.
The Bears had already interviewed nine candidates before welcoming the 10th, Broncos senior personnel executive David Shaw.
David Shaw a Respected College Coach Amid Bears HC Interview
Record: 96-54 (NCAA)
Bowl Record: 5-3
Bears Would Be Asking a Lot of David Shaw
Shaw spent 12 years at the helm of the Stanford Cardinal from 2011 through 2022. A former wide receiver for the university, he began his coaching career at Western Washington in 1995 as outside linebackers coach.
He spent the following season as tight ends coach before making the jump to the NFL in 1997.
Shaw spent one season with the Philadelphia Eagles and three with the then-Oakland Raiders as a quality control coach.
Shaw also spent time with the Baltimore Ravens before returning to the college ranks. He was wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at the University of San Diego in 1996. Shaw then moved on to be offensive coordinator at Stanford from 2007 through 2010.
The list of players to star under him includes former No. 1 overall pick and QB Andrew Luck.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey also starred under Shaw at Stanford before jumping to the NFL. He got a good look at Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who completed 74.1% of his passes for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 41-28 win with the USC Trojans against the Cardinal in 2022.
TOUCHDOWN #USC❕💥
Caleb WILLIAMS to Jordan Addison and the Trojans lead Stanford 14-0 🏈
🎥 @On3USC #FightOn✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/4lEriX9C8G
— Scott Schrader (@SSchraderOn3) September 11, 2022
If Shaw would have one question that must be asked – outside of the standard roster and schematic planning – is his four-year bowl game drought before he stepped down from his HC position with the Cardinal.
He still led the team to 12 wins in three out of four of those seasons to end his tenure.
Shaw was also among the first of a wave of coaches that have jumped ship to the NFL amid the overtaking of NIL in the NCAA.
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley also returned to the NFL after years in the college game. If this is a mission to find out if Shaw is a good fit for position coach or even as a coordinator – aside from being typically out of order – that is fine.
That is probably where it is best to stop for both sides, though.
Bears Overwhelmed 1 Coach Already
Shaw is like interim head coach Thomas Brown in that asking him to take control of an NFL team – especially one in as dire need of leadership as this one – would be daring.
Shaw has not only been off the sidelines for the past two seasons. His role with the Broncos is in the front office. He has not been on an NFL sideline as a coach in 15 years. That could be a difficult sell for a veteran-laden locker room that has already dealt with plenty of growing pains. College coaches do not have a strong track record of making that leap either.
This is better served as a fact-finding mission for both sides than it is a potential strong match for coach or team.
Shaw’s proximity to former lockout Bears QB Sean Payton is a plus. And perhaps that has kept him sharp enough to convince Bears general manager Ryan Poles that he is the right man for the job.
However, it only takes one failed stint to ruin a potential coaching career. Likewise, the Bears have seemingly found their QB1 in Caleb Williams. Shaw’s spans both the collegiate and NFL ranks. But the game has changed at both levels since he moved on.