5 Chicago Bears replacement options for Matt Nagy

5. Byron Leftwich, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator

Byron Leftwich will likely be the hottest head coaching candidate this offseason. His offense is the top-ranked unit in the league and he learned well under Bucs’ head coach Bruce Arians. The Bears chose wrong when they didn’t go after Arians in the past so maybe they make up for that by hiring his protege.

Like Fields, Leftwich was a quarterback drafted in the first round. He and Fields could have a very good relationship.

Leftwich started his coaching career as an intern for the Arizona Cardinals in 2016. Arians was Arizona’s head coach then as well. In two short years, Leftwich moved up to offensive coordinator. He was also in charge of the quarterbacks.

Leftwich followed Arians to Tampa as offensive coordinator. He built the Bucs into an offensive powerhouse, ranking number one in scoring. Having a high-powered offense is a Chicago Bears fan’s dream.

Critics will say that Leftwich has the advantage of working with arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the league, Tom Brady. However, it could be difficult to deal with such a great player. Sometimes great players feel that their way is the right way. Leftwich, with his nine-year career as a player, can earn Brady’s respect. They’ve certainly worked well together.

Leftwich has shown that he is a quick learner and can adapt to the players he has. Remember, he has Jameis Winston as his quarterback in 2019. Winston led the league in interceptions with 30. However, he also threw 33 touchdown passes, second in the league. Additionally, he led the league in passing yards with 5,109.

There aren’t many offenses that can finish the season ranked 3rd in both points scored and yards gained while also having a quarterback with 30 interceptions. That is a sign as to how well the offense built by Leftwich really was. He could do the same with the Chicago Bears.