Nov 12, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw looks for a play against the Utah Utes in the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
A former Stanford football coach could end up back on an NFL sideline after all. With many of the head coaching vacancies filled, teams are now beginning to transition to building a staff around their new hires, with the Chicago Bears being one of the franchises that has seen a change of leadership. Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, was hired to be the Bears' head coach, and it is now time for him to build his coaching staff.
Of the roles that still need to be filled is offensive coordinator, and one name that is on the list of candidates is former Stanford football head coach David Shaw. Shaw, who served as an offensive assistant (including being Stanford's OC from 2007-2010) before his head coaching tenure from 2011-2022, spent time in the Denver Broncos front office this season as a senior personnel executive, but has had his mind set on returning to coaching.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Shaw is one of four known candidates for the role.
During his time coaching his alma mater, playing for the Cardinal from 1991-1994, Shaw led Stanford to three Pac-12 championships and five bowl wins, winning four Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards while leaving with a career record of 96-54.
However, with the NIL era taking over college football, Stanford found itself struggling to keep up, leading to Shaw's final two seasons to consist of 3-9 finishes.
A strong offensive mind, Chicago's interest in Chicago makes sense. While he most likely would not call plays, given Johnson's strong track record as a play caller in Detroit, Shaw's ability to develop quarterbacks (being a key figure in Andrew Luck's development into being the No. 1 overall pick in 2012) bodes well for a team that is eager to see Caleb Williams become their long-term, franchise quarterback.
Developing Williams and building a team around him will be priority number one for Chicago. As a rookie, Williams fared relatively well, throwing for over 3,500 yards with 20 touchdowns to only six interceptions but with struggles on the offensive line, he was sacked a league-high 68 times.
With weapons such as D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and D'Andre Swift, giving Williams strong protection will give more chances to give the ball to his playmakers.
Shaw is not the only candidate for the OC opening, but he is presumed to be one of the top candidates. CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reports that the Bears are also interested in Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks coach, Israel Woolfork, and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reporting that Denver Broncos tight ends coach, Declan Doyle, is also in the mix.
It could bode well for Shaw that after he interviewed for the Bears' head coaching vacancy, that the team brought him in to interview for another role in the organization.