Bears HC candidate profile: Would Anthony Weaver be a retread?

There are plenty of names being attached to the Chicago Bears' head coaching vacancy, and more names were added on Black Monday, the NFL's unofficial start to the offseason for most teams. On a day where coaches find out the fate of their coaching future, others get to begin the process of potentially landing a head coaching job.

As the carousel begins to take its spins around the league, there have been many names being connected to the Bears, and one of the newer names added to the list is Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. The interest from Chicago to Weaver was first reported by Dianna Russini of The Athletic, and comes at a time where it felt as if the Bears were focusing in on two targets -- former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

With Weaver slated to interview with Chicago, here's an in-depth look at Weaver and what he could potentially bring to the Bears as their next head coach.

Background

• Current job: Defensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins (2024-present)

• Age: 44

• Hometown: Abilene, Texas

• College: Notre Dame

Experience

• Defensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins (2024-present)

• Assistant head coach & defensive line coach, Baltimore Ravens (2022-2023)

• Defensive line coach & run game coordinator, Baltimore Ravens (2021)

• Defensive coordinator & defensive line coach, Houston Texans (2020)

• Defensive line coach, Houston Texans (2016-2019)

• Defensive line coach, Cleveland Browns (2014-2015)

• Defensive line coach, Buffalo Bills (2013)

• Assistant defensive line coach, New York Jets (2012)

• Linebackers coach, North Texas University (2011)

• Graduate assistant, University of Florida (2010)

Fit with Bears

Just taking a look at Weaver's resume, and looking at where the Bears failed during the 2024 season, Weaver would clearly be brought in for his defensive mind. It may feel as if this is similar to their last hiring cycle, which ended up with Matt Eberflus in Chicago, but Weaver carries himself differently. In the 2024 season, Weaver led the Miami Dolphins to the fourth best total defense in the NFL, and that was in a lost season for Miami.

Throughout the lead-up to the head coaching search, there has been plenty of conversation from upper management and the players on the team about finding a "leader of men". As cliche as it may sound, there has not been a bigger talking point than accountability, leadership, and a desperate change for the culture of this team.

It would be Weaver's first opportunity as a head coach and with the on the field focus geared towards the growth and development of quarterback Caleb Williams, Weaver would need the right staff with him. His expertise is defense, which is why he saw Miami thrive without their star pass rusher Bradley Chubb all season and Jaelan Phillips, who only played in four games this year. Weaver was involved in head coaching rumors last season, but is getting even more serious consideration in this year's cycle.

They said it...

"We have everybody in this building to have that type of dawg mentality. But ultimately, you got to win it all if you want it to be long-lasting."

-- Anthony Weaver on bringing his "dawg" mentality from the Baltimore Ravens to the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2024 season (via SI.com)

Bottom line

Weaver is an interesting name, but mainly for conversation purposes, because the focus remains bringing in the right coach to develop Williams. The career trajectory of Williams will be directly tied to any potential long-term success and if Ryan Poles wants to remain in Chicago as the team's general manager, he can't afford to take a risk in the head coaching search.

Weaver has gained the respect of his players at every spot he has coached at, and he's clearly gotten interest from NFL teams for a reason, he's earned it. This is not a dig at Weaver and his potential as a head coach, but simply put the Bears should not push for a name that has come up later in the rumor mill while the entire talk has been centered around the potential hiring of either Vrabel or Johnson.

He may have a great future in the NFL as a head coach, he could also opt to stay in Miami after the fantastic job he did without some of the team's top weapons on defense, but Weaver should not be given real consideration for the Chicago job. His name should be more so used to drive the negotiations with other serious candidates, and Weaver should look elsewhere at the other openings around the NFL if he wants his first coaching job.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC candidate profile: Would Anthony Weaver be a retread?