Chicago Bears Hire Mel Tucker as Defensive Coordinator
By Josh Hill
The Chicago Bears defensive coordinator position wasn’t vacant for long, as Rod Marinelli has officially been replaced by ex-Jaguars coordinator Mel Tucker. Before joining Marc Trestman’s staff in Chicago, Tucker was nearly hired as the Jaguars head coach before they reached out to Gus Bradley and gave him the job.
Trestman, a first-time NFL head coach, is quickly assembling a staff of experienced and veteran coordinators. Chicago hired former New Orleans Saints coordinator Aaron Kromer as their offensive coordinator yesterday, and are interviewing Redskins defensive backs coach and former Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris as well.
Kromer served as the Saints interim head coach for the first six games of this season while Joe Vitt served a six-game suspension and Sean Payton served his season-long suspension. Tucker also comes highly touted and will take over one of the best defenses in the NFL, one that could get a face-lift in the near future.
Brian Urlacher’s future with the team is up in the air, and a new regime is in town which likely means some guys who thought they had a job might have to fight a littler harder to keep it.
Tucker was rumored to have been a little steamed to have not gotten the Jaguars head coaching job and it was said he’d leave if he was passed up. It turns out those rumors were true, and the Bears are greatly benefiting from it. This offseason marked the second time Tucker was passed up as head coach of the Jaguars, with Mike Mularkey getting the job last season.