Chicago Bears May Have Chance To Get Rod Marinelli Back

Fans and media in Chicago have said the downfall of the Chicago Bears defense began with the retirement of Brian Urlacher.  More likely though it was accelerated when defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli departed in 2013.  Under his guidance the unit had some of its best seasons of the Lovie Smith era, posting rankings of 4th, 14th and 3rd in scoring defense over his three seasons.  After two ugly years under Mel Tucker, fans can only long for the what-ifs since reports have indicate Marinelli might have stayed if a different coach other than Marc Trestman had replaced Smith.

Now they are in the hunt for a new coaching staff again and could the entire thing actually come full circle with Marinelli returning after a two-year hiatus?

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network made that a possibility when he tweeted this interesting piece regarding Marinelli’s contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

Marinelli signed a two-year deal with them in 2013 so he’s essentially a free agent in 2014.  Rapoport went on to say Lovie Smith is certainly a connection to watch down in Tampa Bay.  However, there has been no indication the team is unhappy with Leslie Frazier.  That opens the door for the Bears for a number of key reasons.

At the moment the hottest name regarding their GM position is Chris Ballard, current Kansas City Chiefs director of pro personnel and previously a scout in Chicago for 12 seasons.  Ballard knew Marinelli well from the time he was defensive line coach and then coordinator.  On top of that, rumors are swirling that if Ballard gets the job he could bring Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub back with him as his head coach.

Toub was another underling of Lovie Smith for the Chicago Bears and built a relationship with Marinelli.  It’s not a hard connection as Toub would welcome the veteran coach back with open arms were he to take over at Soldier Field.