REPORT: Chicago Bears ask permission from Packers to interview defensive coordinator candidate

The Chicago Bears are searching for defensive coaching help

The Chicago Bears’ defense was bad last season. A new report has come out that the Bears are looking to hire outside coaching to help for next season. The Bears’ defense gave up the 29th most yards (378) in the regular season. They gave up the most points per game (27.2). It was a rough year for first-year defensive coordinator Alan Williams.

We’ll see if Williams gets a second.

According to a report by NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the Bears have asked for permission from the Green Bay Packers to interview Jerry Gray. He’s the Green Bay Packers’ defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. It’s unclear what position the Bears are interviewing Gray for.

The Bears have requested permission to interview Packers defensive pass game coordinator/DBs coach Jerry Gray for an as-yet-undefined defensive coaching position.

Gray is also interviewing this week in Atlanta for the vacant defensive coordinator position.

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 20, 2023

Of interest in this report, Gray is set to interview for the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator position. Gray has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL before. He served as the Buffalo Bills’ defensive coordinator from the 2001-05 seasons.

Gray wants to be a defensive coordinator

It’s an interesting request for the Bears to make after it became public knowledge Gray was seeking a promotion to defensive coordinator. One wouldn’t expect Gray to take a backward-lateral move to Chicago for anything less than a defensive coordinator job. Hopefully, we’ll find out what job the Bears would like him to interview for.

Williams’ defense was bad all over the field this year. In his defense, his entire roster was a joke to work with, even before the Bears traded Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith midseason. So far, the Bears have retained both coordinators and head coach Matt Eberflus after finishing with the league’s worst record. But there could be a change coming to the staff shortly.