Chicago Bears: Ex-NFL star feels Eric Washington will be a big hit

Ex-NFL star Gerald McCoy feels that the Chicago Bears hit a home run when they hired Eric Washington to be their defensive coordinator.

The Chicago Bears look to be a busy team this offseason. They have two top-ten picks in the NFL Draft, including the top overall pick. Additionally, they have about $70 million in salary cap space, the third-most in the league. General Manager Ryan Poles will have the assets to solidify the roster this offseason.

Before he made any roster moves, however, Poles needed to solidify the coaching staff. He let go of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and nearly all of his staff just days after the regular season ended, a couple of weeks later, he hired Shane Waldron to replace Getsy. He also hired all of the offensive assistants.

There was still one more vacancy to fill, though. The defensive coordinator position has been open since Week 2 when Alan Williams resigned. Head coach Matt Eberflus, who was previously the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts, took over. He hired Phil Snow to be their Senior Defensive Analyst to help.

Now in the offseason, the Chicago Bears needed to hire a full-time coach. Eberflus stated that he would retain playcalling duties. However, the defense needs a day-to-day coach to help with the weekly game plans and help develop the players.

At around the same time that Poles hired the offensive coaches he hired Eric Washington to become the new defensive coordinator. He was previously the Buffalo Bills’ assistant head coach/defensive line coach. Now he will assist Eberflus with the running of the entire defense.

A former player is a fan of Washington

A former All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle feels that the Washington hire will be great for the Chicago Bears. Gerald McCoy played under Washington for just one season when both were with the Carolina Panthers. While it was just a short time, Washington left a great impression on McCoy.

McCoy is now an analyst for the NFL Network. He spoke about Washington during Super Bowl week.

Listen, what are you going to get is a teacher… You’d be surprised how many people in the NFL don’t know how to play football the right way. They just don’t. They don’t know how to break down film. They don’t know how to watch film. They don’t know how to prepare for games. They are just talented. They’re just better and better athletes. It’s just, I can remember the play. OK, go do this. He’s going to teach you the game.

Having a good teacher will come in handy for the Chicago Bears. The team has two pretty good young defensive tackles, Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens. Both players made an impact on the defensive line. Dexter got better as the season progressed. He received more snaps and could be in line for a starting job in 2024.

McCoy went on to say how he saw Washington break down the information and present it to the players in an easy-to-understand fashion. He felt that was a big reason why Brian Burns is such a star today.

McCoy mentioned how Washington is always ultra-high and talking ball. He won’t necessarily talk about the player’s job, though. He will ask the player what a teammate’s job is on certain plays. It helps when a player knows what other players are doing so they get a better idea of their own job.

Washington certainly learned from some of the best in the business. He had a previous stint with the Chicago Bears and Lovie Smith. He was part of the coaching staff that helped lead the team to the NFC Championship game. He also had stops at Carolina with Ron Rivera and the Bills with Sean McDermott.

Now Washington is tasked with helping develop a young, rising defense. According to McCoy, the Chicago Bears got it right with Washington and they will reach great heights.