Bears HC candidate profile: Does Drew Petzing have what it takes?

The Chicago Bears are searching for their next head coach, where general manager Ryan Poles will lead the charge in a wide-ranging search that will include up-and-coming coordinators, former head coaches and even a current head coach.

As the coaching carousel begins to take its spins around the league, there have been many names being connected to the Bears, including Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who is a surprising name on their list of candidates. Petzing has served as offensive playcaller for the Cardinals for the past two years, and he has an offensive background that makes him an intriguing option.

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

Background

• Current Job: Offensive coordinator, Arizona Cardinals (2023-present)

• Age: 37

• Hometown: Rochester, New York

• College: Middlebury

Experience

• Offensive coordinator, Arizona Cardinals (2023–present)

• Quarterbacks coach, Cleveland Browns (2022)

• Tight ends coach, Cleveland Browns (2020–2021)

• Wide receivers coach, Minnesota Vikings (2019)

• Assistant quarterbacks coach, Minnesota Vikings (2018)

• Assistant wide receivers coach, Minnesota Vikings (2016–2017)

• Offensive assistant, Minnesota Vikings (2014–2015)

• Football operations intern, Cleveland Browns (2013)

• Outside linebackers coach, Yale (2012)

• Graduate assistant, Boston College (2010–2011)

• Volunteer student assistant, Harvard (2009)

Fit with Bears

The development of Caleb Williams is at the forefront of this head coach search, which is why offensive-minded head coaches will be a focal point. Petzing has worked with several quarterbacks throughout his career -- from Deshaun Watson and Jacoby Brissett in Cleveland to Kyler Murray in Arizona, where he's now gotten the most out of the former No. 1 overall pick.

Petzing has served in pretty much every offensive role you can imagine in his career: offensive coordinator, quarterback coach, wide receivers coach, tight ends coach, assistant quarterback coach and assistant wide receiver coach. He has a versatile offensive background that's helped him mold his offense.

Petzing has served as the offensive coordinator under Jonathan Gannon for the last two years, where the Cardinals offense has made strides. They improved from No. 19 in yards per game and No. 24 in points per game in 2023 to No. 11 in yards per game and No. 12 in points per game in 2024. Arizona also had a top-seven rushing attack that averaged 144.2 yards per game, which was an area of weakness for Chicago this season.

But it's Petzing's work with Murray that is impressive. This season, Murray finished with the highest QBR of his career at 66.5 (10th in NFL), the second-highest completion percentage at 68.8% and third-highest passer raring at 93.5. Although, there was still some to be desired with his touchdown-to-interception ratio (21-11), the lowest of his career, and his third-and-long conversion percentage was 30th in the league.

They said it...

"I'm excited for Drew. The people that know, know. He knows how to teach, he's got really good command, he can get the best out of people, he's extremely intelligent, and I think he knows what's going on," Gannon added. "He's had some good experiences, around a lot of good guys -- I'm probably not one of them -- and he's been trained the right way. He's got a growth mindset, he knows where he is strong and where he needs help. I think he'd do a really good job."

-- Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on Drew Petzing's potential as a head coach (via AZCardinals.com)

Bottom line

With the Petzing interview, this feels more like Poles and company doing their due diligence and exhausting every avenue when it comes to coaching candidates rather than him being a legitimate candidate. At least, that's the hope. Because if this Bears organization has truly learned nothing, this would be the kind of hire they make.

What Petzing did in Arizona this season is impressive, with a dominant rushing attack and helping Murray make strides in Year 6. But that doesn't he's ready to be a head coach and lead a team. That's the biggest question: does Petzing has what it takes to be a leader. What does his plan look like, not just for Caleb Williams but the team as a whole?

If Chicago goes the inexperienced head coach route again, they need to be sure they choose someone with a structured plan for a team that could contend for the playoffs with the right coach in place. When you look at the long list of interview candidates, half of them have prior head coaching experience (be it in the NFL or college level), as the Bears look to eliminate the poor game management that led to losses and Matt Eberflus' firing. Petzing doesn't fit the bill.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC candidate profile: Does Drew Petzing have what it takes?