<
>

Bears' staff takes shape with Mark Helfrich, Vic Fangio as coordinators

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy’s staff is taking shape.

The first-time head coach, who was introduced as the 16th head coach in Bears’ franchise history on Jan. 9, already has an offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator in place.

Here’s a look at Nagy’s staff as it stands now.

Offense

Mark Helfrich: The former Oregon head coach will serve as Nagy’s offensive coordinator, although Nagy is expected to call his own plays. Helfrich held a similar role in Oregon under Chip Kelly from 2009-12. Helfrich went 37-16 as head coach of the Ducks before the school fired him at the end of the 2016 season. Helfrich spent the 2017 season working as a college football analyst.

Harry Hiestand: The veteran offensive line coach returns to Chicago after a six-year stint at the University of Notre Dame. Hiestand coached the Bears offensive line from 2005-09 where he was a member of a coaching staff that helped Chicago win back-to-back division titles and reach Super Bowl XLI. Hiestand also coached the Tennessee Volunteers' offensive line from 2010-11.

Charles London: London coached running backs for the Houston Texans the last four seasons under head coach Bill O’Brien, whom London followed to Houston from Penn State (2012-13). London coached the Nittany Lions’ running backs and served as the football program’s recruiting coordinator. London spent three years (2007-09) on Lovie Smith’s staff in Chicago as an offensive quality control coach and assistant wide receivers coach.

Mike Furrey: Furrey, who played eight seasons in the NFL, officially joins Nagy's staff as wide receivers coach. Furrey recently completed his second season as the head coach at Limestone College in South Carolina. Furrey and Nagy were teammates in the Arena Football League on the New York Dragons.

Kevin Gilbride: The son of former New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, Gilbride spent the last eight seasons with the Giants and the last four as their tight ends coach. Gilbride also coached the Giants wide receivers in 2012-13. One of Gilbride's main objectives will be to further develop former second round pick tight end Adam Shaheen, who posted only modest numbers as a rookie.

Defense

Vic Fangio: Nagy successfully retained Fangio, the Bears defensive coordinator the past three seasons under John Fox, by offering the respected defensive coordinator a new three-year deal -- a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Fangio's return is huge for the sake of continuity. The Bears defense finished in the top-10 in points allowed (9th), total yards (10th) and passing yards (7th) in 2017. Chicago ranked 11th in rushing defense.

Special teams

Chris Tabor: The veteran special teams coordinator returns to Chicago after a seven-year stint at Cleveland. Under Tabor, the Browns' special teams ranked sixth in kickoff return average allowed, seventh in punt return average, ninth in total kickoff return yards and 10th in total return yards allowed since Tabor took over in 2011. Prior to his time in Cleveland, Tabor served as Dave Toub’s special teams assistant in Chicago from 2008-10.

Brock Olivo: The Bears' new assistant special teams coordinator, Olivo served as the Denver Broncos special teams coordinator in 2017. Olivo, who at one time played running back for the Detroit Lions, worked under Dave Toub in Kansas City from 2014-16. Toub was also Tabor's former boss in Chicago for three seasons.