Tag: Chris Morgan

Bears promote OL coach Chris Morgan to run game coordinator

The Bears offensive line coach is getting a promotion for the 2024 season.

The Chicago Bears overhauled their offensive coaching staff this offseason, namely with the addition of Shane Waldron as the new offensive coordinator. But one holdover coach from the last two years is getting a promotion for the 2024 season.

Offensive line coach Chris Morgan is being elevated to run game coordinator, head coach Matt Eberflus announced on Thursday while meeting the media. Morgan has spent the last two seasons as the offensive line coach and has yielded positive results while working with young players such as Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, and Darnell Wright.

Morgan was one of two position coaches who remained with the team after the 2023 season, along with tight ends coach Jim Dray. He will still coach the offensive line in addition to working with running backs coach Chad Morton and assistant running backs coach Jennifer King on the run game. The Bears did not have a run game coordinator the last two seasons, though their rushing offense led the league in yards per game in 2022 (177.3) and second in 2023 (141.1 yards per game).

With the promotion of Morgan, the Bears’ coaching staff is nearly complete. Eberflus confirmed the team is still looking for an assistant defensive line coach after Justin Hinds left to become the Seattle Seahawks defensive line coach.

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WATCH: Darnell Wright gets the call from the Bears

Here’s the moment Darnell Wright got the call from Ryan Poles letting him know he’s going to be a Chicago Bear.

The Chicago Bears made Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright the inaugural first-round pick of general manager Ryan Poles’ tenure on Thursday evening. The Bears selected the physical offensive lineman with the No. 10 pick, trading down one spot from the No. 9 pick with the Philadelphia Eagles while gaining a 2024 fourth-round pick.

Wright had worked his whole career to get that phone call and here’s how everyone reacted when the moment finally came.

Poles was the first one to make the call and referenced a conversation they had while going through a private workout. “Do you remember what we talked about when we came down there and worked you out?” Poles asked the 21-year old. Wright knew exactly what he was talking about. “Be one of the best,” he responded. Poles then told Wright he’s going to be a Chicago Bear.

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Wright also took calls from head coach Matt Eberflus, team president and CEO Kevin Warren, and offensive line coach Chris Morgan. He told Eberflus he was “a little bit in shock” to receive the call, while he was fired up when he talked with Morgan, his new position coach.

Seeing and hearing players react to the news that their dream of playing in the NFL is finally a reality is one of the highlights of the draft. Each call is special for both the player and the team and Wright sounds motivated to get to work and help bring winning football back to Chicago.

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Bears’ Luke Getsy, Chris Morgan dubbed head coach candidates to watch

The Bears have a couple of assistant coaches in Luke Getsy and Chris Morgan who are considered candidates for head coaching vacancies.

With the 2023 offseason in full swing, there are a handful of teams searching for a new head coach. The Chicago Bears went through the process last year (for both general manager and head coach). Now, they have a couple of assistant coaches that could be head coach candidates.

The Athletic‘s Mike Jones shared a list of head coach candidates to watch during this coaching cycle, and he included Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and offensive line coach Chris Morgan.

Given Getsy’s role in quarterback Justin Fields’ breakout season, it’s not a surprise to find him among this list of candidates. Getsy did interview for a head coaching job last year before joining the Bears as offensive coordinator.

Justin Fields remains a work in progress, but Year 2 for the former Ohio State star has featured significant growth, and Getsy is a big reason for that. Leaning into Fields’ strengths as a dual-threat quarterback, Getsy designed an offense that positioned Fields to deliver historic rushing performances while also exhibiting promise as a passer. The 38-year-old former Packers quarterbacks coach and passing coordinator directs an offense that leads the NFL with 181 rushing yards per game.

While Getsy’s name isn’t a surprise on this list, Morgan certainly is. Not only has he helped orchestrated Chicago’s top-ranked rushing attack, but he’s someone who’s garnering attention in NFL coaching circles.

Morgan also has played a key role in developing the Bears offense into the most imposing rushing attack in the league. Although unknown to outsiders, he has begun developing a strong reputation in NFL coaching circles. In addition to the rushing success in his first season with the Bears, Morgan coached under Kyle Shanahan in Washington and Atlanta, and played a role in the playoff runs of both teams. Morgan is expected to receive interest for offensive coordinator positions this offseason.

There are currently five head coaching vacancies following the conclusion of the 2022 regular season. The Broncos, Cardinals, Colts, Panthers and Texans are all looking for new head coaches.

So far, Getsy and Morgan haven’t received any interview requests. But that certainly change — be it this coaching cycle or perhaps next year.

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Bears hire Chris Morgan: 5 things to know about Chicago’s new O-line coach

Bears HC Matt Eberflus is filling out his coaching staff, adding Chris Morgan. Get to know Chicago’s new offensive line coach.

The Chicago Bears new coaching staff is starting to fill out under Matt Eberflus. To fill the offensive line coach spot, Eberflus went with Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coordinator Chris Morgan.

This is an important hire for the Bears considering new general manager Ryan Poles preached the significance of addressing the offensive line this offseason. Morgan is one of the best in the NFL, so this is the first step in doing just that.

With Morgan in place, get to know the Bears’ new offensive line coach:

Chicago Bears poach Steelers offensive line coach

The Bears announced they’ve hired Chris Morgan as their O-line coach.

The Chicago Bears announced they’ve hired Chris Morgan as their offensive line coach, which means the Steelers are another man down.

Pittsburgh is now without a defensive coordinator, offensive line coach and offensive line assistant.

Morgan took over after Adrian Klemm was relieved of his duties with two weeks left in the regular season.

The good thing is that with the Steelers needing two offensive coaches, it appears that they’ll hire from outside the organization. A new perspective can never be a bad thing for a struggling offense.

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Bears hire Dave Borgonzi as linebackers coach, Chris Morgan as O-line coach

The Bears have added two more assistants to Matt Eberflus’ coaching staff in LBs coach Dave Borgonzi and OL coach Chris Morgan.

New Bears head coach Matt Eberflus’ coaching staff is starting to fill out.

After the announcements of Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator and Alan Williams as defensive coordinator, the Bears also announced the hirings of Dave Borgonzi as linebackers coach and Chris Morgan as offensive line coach.

Borgonzi boasts 16 years of coaching experience, including 11 years at the NFL level. Borgonzi spent the last four years as the Colts linebackers coach with Eberflus in Indianapolis. Before that, Borgonzi was a defensive quality control coach with the Buccaneers (2014-17). He got his start with the Cowboys in 2011, where he worked as both a defensive and offensive assistant.

Morgan has 13 years of NFL experience, where he most recently served as an assistant offensive line coach with the Steelers last season. He previously served as an offensive line coach with the Falcons from 2015-20, as well as running game coordinator in 2018. Before that, Morgan was an assistant offensive line coach with the Raiders (2009-10), Washington (2011-13) and Seahawks (2014).

Stay up-to-date with all of Eberflus’ coaching staff hirings here:

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin promotes Chris Morgan to OL coordinator

Morgan was promoted to OL coordinator on Tuesday following the dismissal of Adrian Klemm.

When the broadcast of Pittsburgh Steelers games cuts to the coaching booth, you’ve probably seen a guy sitting next to offensive coordinator Matt Canada. That’s Canada’s assistant, Chris Morgan, who was promoted to offensive line coordinator yesterday following the dismissal of Adrian Klemm.

“I’m excited about the spin that his perspective will bring us,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said about Morgan.

Tomlin is hopeful that the intimate relationships that Morgan has built among the staff and players this season will carry over into the new role.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to gain some exposure to C-Mo’s potential because he will be a candidate for the job. What better way to see what he’s capable of doing than to allow him to do the job for the remaining portions of the season.”

A Tall Task

These next two weeks are huge for Morgan, as he’s auditioning for a more prominent role in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. Though two games is a small sample size, if the offensive line improves under Morgan’s direction, the interim promotion could potentially become permanent.

Making the most of a good opportunity will certainly be a challenge in this situation. Morgan has a daunting task in front of him as he inherits an offensive line that’s one of the worst in the NFL. The unit has drastically underperformed through 15 games, and it’s hard to imagine a significant about-face this late in the season, especially given its player personnel’s lack of experience and/or talent.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked 35 times — the highest since 2013 — and that’s with the quickest release in the NFL.

Pittsburgh is averaging 87.6 rushing yards, and that’s on the high side. Though he displays a ton of effort and heart with each attempt, Najee Harris has only managed 3.7 per attempt for a 65 yards per game average.

Morgan’s Resume

Morgan came to the Steelers in February as a veteran offensive line coach. He served as offensive line coordinator with the Falcons from 2015 to 2020, where his line helped block Matt Ryan’s way to franchise and career-highs in yards (4,944) and touchdowns (38). Morgan was also instrumental in the continued development of Pro Bowlers center Alex Mack and tackle Jake Matthews. In 2018, in addition to coaching the O-line, he was run game coordinator.

Before joining the Falcons, Morgan spent a season with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was part of the 2015 Super Bowl staff as the assistant offensive line coach.

Morgan first entered the NFL as assistant O-line coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2009 and spent time with Washington (2011-2013).

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Steelers staff retooling continues with assistant OL hire

The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to revamp their coaching staff on Friday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to revamp their coaching staff on Friday. Per Mark Kaboly and Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Steelers add Chris Morgan to their staff as assistant offensive line coach.

As often happens when new head coaches are brought in, Falcons’ Arthur Smith chose not to retain several coaches, including Morgan. Morgan also interviewed twice with the New York Giants for their offensive line coach position.

Morgan has a dozen years of O-line coaching experience. He served with the Falcons from 2015 to 2020, where his line helped block Matt Ryan’s way to franchise and career-highs in yards (4,944) and touchdowns (38). Morgan was also instrumental in the continued development of Pro Bowlers center Alex Mack and tackle Jake Matthews. In 2018, in addition to coaching the O-line, he was run game coordinator.

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He first entered the NFL as assistant O-line coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2009 and spent time with the Washington Football Team (2011-2013) and the Seattle Seahawks (2014).

In various seasons, under Morgan’s direction, his lines, quarterbacks and running backs were in the top 10 in a number of categories, including big plays, pass attempts, fewest sacks allowed, rush yards, average yards per carry and explosive running plays.

Morgan will coach under newly-promoted offensive line coach Adrian Klemm.

Expect the Steelers to round out their hires with defensive backs and tight ends coaches some time this month.

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