Brian Daboll — What could have been for the Bears
- Mark Potash
- Nov 6
- 4 min read
Bears fans likely will not even acknowledge Brian Daboll on the sidelines at Soldier Field as head coach of the Giants on Sunday. But let the record show, once upon a time they wanted him to be on the other sideline as much as they wanted Ben Johnson last January.
Daboll was the coach many Bears fans had to have after Matt Nagy was fired following a 6-11 season in 2021. His mentorship and development of Josh Allen as the Bills' offensive coordinator was even more dramatic than Johnson's work with Jared Goff — from a questionable top-10. pick as a rookie, Allen became an All-Pro and MVP runner-up in 2020, when he threw for 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
And the Bills' offense soared under Daboll – from 30th and 23rd in scoring in his first two seasons as offensive coordinator as Allen figured it out to second in 2020 and third in 2021. At that point, Daboll was at or near the top of the list for just about any NFL vacancy.
Bears fans didn't have the same familiarity with Daboll as they did with Johnson — who not only played the Bears twice a year as the Lions' offensive coordinator, but all but auditioned with the "Stumblebum" play in a 34-17 Lions victory at Soldier Field in Week 16 last season. In the Bears' only game against Daboll with the Bills, the Bears won 41-9 at New Era Stadium when Allen was out with an injury (replaced by future Bear Nathan Peterman).
But even from afar, Daboll was a hot commodity in Chicago — especially when he interviewed a day after Allen was spectacular in a 47-17 obliteration of the Patriots in a wild-card playoff — 21 of 25 for 308 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions and a 157.6 passer rating. If he could do that for Josh Allen, what could he do for Justin Fields?
Alas, it did not work out for the Bears. The Giants hired Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their general manager on Jan. 21, 2022 and Schoen predictably hired Daboll as his head coach a week later. The Bears hired Ryan Poles as their general manger on Jan. 25, 2022 and Poles hired Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as his head coach 48 hours later.
Bears fans were left to rue another apparent Halas Hall miss in 2022 when the Giants went 9-7-1 in Daboll's first season (after going 4-13 under Joe Judge in 2021) with quarterback Daniel Jones' improvement (from a 47.5 QB rating in 2021 to 62.9) a key factor. The Giants even won a playoff game — beating the Vikings 31-24 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
As it turned out, Daboll's early success was short-lived. The Giants slumped to 6-11 in 2023 and 4-13 last season, when Jones was benched in Week 11 — 16 games after signing a four-year, $160-million contract extension. After starting 6-1 under Daboll, the Giants have gone 14-38-1 — with six different quarterbacks starting. And even worse, after losing his starting job under Daboll, Jones has revived his career with Shane Steichen and the Colts — with a career-best 101.7 passer rating (it was 84.3 in six seasons with the Giants) and an NFL-best 2,404 per game (267.1 per game, second behind the Rams' Matthew Stafford).
Meanwhile, Daboll is starting over with rookie Jaxson Dart, a first-round draft pick (No. 25 overall) from Ole Miss, after failing with veteran Russell Wilson. Dart has been impressive for an NFL rookie. His 93.9 passer rating (10 touchdowns, three interceptions) and 62.3 completion percentage actually are both better than Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (93.5/61.5 — but averaging 7.5 yards per pass and 239.5 yards per game). He's better than Tyler Huntley.
As for Brian Daboll, he's still trying to find the success he had in his first year. A cautionary tale for Bears fans enamored with Ben Johnson? Not really. Daboll's first season was a mirage. His offense that season was nothing special — tied for 15th in the NFL in points and 18th in yards. Johnson's early success with the Bears is rooted in his strength — an offense that ranks sixth in points, fourth in total yards, second in rushing and 10th in passing (the Bears are one of three teams that rank in the top 10 in both rushing and passing yards per game).
Johnson still has to manage a more difficult second-half schedule, ultimately against better defenses than the Bears have faced in the first half. But even if the Bears falter, Johnson seems to be laying a foundation for sustained improvement, if not success. It might not be to the level Bears fans are dreaming of, but Johnson has them moving forward and in position to avoid the regression that flummoxed Daboll — and Matt Nagy and Marc Trestman, for that matter.
Comments