Congratulation :Defensive coach for the Buffalo Bills is reportedly leaving for the……
According to numerous reports, the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line coach Eric Washington is being hired by the Chicago Bears as their new defensive coordinator.
Washington, 54, joined the Bills training staff in 2020 after seven seasons with the Carolina Jaguars. After taking over as defensive coordinator when Leslie Frazier left the team, Bills coach Sean McDermott elevated Washington to the position of assistant head coach prior to the 2017-18 season.
From 2008 to 2010, Washington spent his first three NFL seasons as a coach in Chicago.
Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reported that Chicago coach Matt Eberflus still intends to call plays for the Bears’ defense.
Following its performance in the Bills’ 27-24 Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the defensive line has received a lot of criticism over the past week. According to Pro Football Reference, the Bills only registered six pressures as a unit and were unable to sack Patrick Mahomes once during the game. Mahomes was sacked once and put under pressure 11 times when the two teams met in December.
When the Bills lost to the Cincinnati Bengals at home last season, the defensive line was also a problem. In that game, Buffalo did not sack Joe Burrow once.
This week, McDermott was asked about Washington’s unit’s lack of production.
“Could we have done a better job coaching and playing? Definitely,” he replied. And we carefully examine that. However, I believe the lessons you learn from that will benefit you in the future.
The Bills could move more than just Washington’s coach this offseason. Linebackers mentor Bobby Babich has allegedly been mentioned for interviews with the Miami Dolphins, Green Sound Packers, and New York Monsters for their empty protective organizer positions. The Bills have had Babich, a young talented coach, since McDermott took over in 2017. Bison will probably have to extend to Babich their protective facilitator employment opportunity for him to remain in Bison.
Before the 2022 season, the Bills hired Marcus West as their assistant defensive line coach. It is unclear whether they will seek a replacement for Washington within the organization or outside of it. On Friday, Jacques Cesaire, a former assistant defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills, agreed to join the Cleveland Browns as their defensive line coach.
These days, with quarterback Justin Fields’s future and the franchise on the line, it usually takes even less.
On Saturday, the team shared a video of Fields’ highlights on “X,” or Twitter. Although it has been done numerous times before, it is simple to ask, “Why would they do that now, at a time like this?” at this point.
Social media users who are looking for any kind of clue as to whether the team will draft Caleb Williams or Fields will return as quarterback were sparked by the video.
It did appear oddly timed. In an effort to entice fans to attend the Bears’ upcoming game in London next season, the team had also used Fields as the main character in a photo display.
The Bears won’t know for sure if any of this actually means anything until they draft Williams or trade Fields.
With the conference championships and Super Bowl still to come, the Senior Bowl next week, and the combine at the end of February before things get really serious with free agency on March 13, it is highly unlikely that they would be trying to tip anything at this point.
Curiously, the release came on the same day that former Bears great Brian Urlacher advised the Bears to draft Williams on CBS Sports’ Zach Gelb Show.
In hindsight, Urlacher said, “I would have drafted C.J. Stroud last year,” which is pretty obvious.