Getty Images The Bears have a new defensive coordinator now, and apparently more changes are on the way for their staff. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears aren’t expected to retain outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley and assistant defensive backs coach Roy Anderson aren’t expected to return. Some degree of shuffling seems natural, after former coordinator Vic Fangio left for the Broncos head coaching job and was replaced by Chuck Pagano. They want to retain defensive backs coach Ed Donatell, but he has options. Donatell interviewed for the coordinator job before Pagano was hired, and his contract is expiring so he’s not tied to them much longer. The Broncos are reportedly interested, as Fangio looks for help filling his staff.<doc-sep>The Chicago Bears defense will field most, if not all of the same elite playmakers in 2019, but the coaches calling the plays will look a whole lot different. Gone is defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who was hired by the Broncos to become Denver’s head coach. Former Colts coach Chuck Pagano will replace Fangio, and aside from defensive line coach Jay Rodgers, he’ll have an entirely new defensive staff. Defensive backs coach Ed Donatell officially joined Fangio in Denver Tuesday to become the Broncos’ defensive coordinator, and he’ll have Brandon Staley, the Bears’ outside linebackers coach last season, as part of his staff. Roy Anderson (safeties) and Glen Pires (inside linebackers) will not return in 2019, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, leaving Pagano with a defense full of talent and no coaches to work with. This isn’t the worst thing in the world for Pagano, who now has the opportunity to hire coaches he has familiarity with. One name that’s been floated as a potential replacement for Staley is Rob Ryan, whom Pagano’s worked with during his tenure on the Ravens staff. It’s not surprising several Bears assistants have received promotions or have moved on, even in a lateral move, for opportunities that could offer a better career trajectory. What is surprising, however, is that the offensive staff has remained intact, which for this roster, is a huge bonus entering the 2019 offseason.<doc-sep>EDIT: Late Sunday night, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported that safeties coach Roy Anderson, who has been with the Bears the last two years, would not be retained by new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. This comes as a bit of a surprise since Anderson previously worked with Pagano in Baltimore and in Indianapolis. With an opening for safeties coach in Chicago, perhaps Pagano could reach out to his former player, soon to be Hall of Famer Ed Reed. In a recent interview by The Athletic’s Dan Pompei, Reed said he would welcome the opportunity to be an assistant coach in Chicago. Head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace are scheduled to meet the media at Halas Hall on Monday afternoon, so we may get some of these reports made official. *** A source has also informed the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs that Brandon Staley is out as Chicago Bears’ outside linebackers coach. Staley has spent the the last two years in Chicago working on Vic Fangio’s defensive staff. With Fangio now the head coach in Denver, Staley has a possible quick landing spot. Biggs is reporting that Staley will interview for a position on Fangio’s Broncos’ staff on Monday. EDIT: Staley was hired by the Denver Broncos. Biggs’ source also told him that the “rumor” around the league is that Rob Ryan — yes, the son of 1985 Bears’ legend Buddy — is in line to take Staley’s place. Rob coached with new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano for a couple years when Ryan was the defensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders, and Pagano their defensive backs coach. Ryan also has ties to Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace, as the two worked for the New Orleans Saints in 2013 and 2014, with Ryan the defensive coordinator and Pace the director of player personnel. Bears Pro Bowl defensive lineman Akiem Hicks was coached by Ryan when he played in New Orleans, and Ryan left an impression on him. Rob Ryan — akiem hicks (@The_Dream99) January 13, 2019 Other changes to the Bears’ defensive staff could be coming as defensive backs Ed Donatell, who is out of contract, is reported to be considering leaving for the Broncos. The Bears did interview him for their defensive coordinator position, so logic dictates that they’d like to keep him if he passes on reuniting with Fangio.<doc-sep>The Chicago Bears coaching staff under new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano is starting to take shape. With Ed Donatell following Vic Fangio to the Denver Broncos, Matt Nagy hired a new defensive backs coach Friday, bringing in two-time Super Bowl champion Deshea Townsend. Townsend played cornerback for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning championships after the 2005 and 2008 seasons. He spent one year with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring in 2011 and joining the Arizona Cardinals as an assistant defensive backs coach. He spent two seasons as the defensive backs coach for the Tennessee Titans in 2016 and 2017, and he was the New York Giants assistant DB coach last season. Pagano also added Ronell Williams as a defensive quality control coach. He was a defensive analyst at Temple last season and worked with the Bears coaching staff at training camp as part of the NFL’s diversity coaching fellowship program.<doc-sep>
PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Deshea Townsend #26 and Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate after Townsend intercepted a pass in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) The Chicago Bears added Deshea Townsend as secondary coach. After Vic Fangio left the Chicago Bears to take the head coaching job with the Denver Broncos, some coaches left on their own and other coaches were asked to leave, but when the dust settled, basically defensive line coach Jay Rodgers was all that was left as positional coaches for the defense. Chuck Pagano will have to rebuild what was a very good Bears’ defensive coaching staff and he has started to do just that. The Bears announced that former Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive back Deshea Townsend has been added as the defensive backs coach under Pagano. Townsend spent 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998 to 2009. He finished his playing career spending one season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2010 (Chuck Pagano was not in Indy yet). Matt Nagy has hired Deshea Townsend as #DaBears defensive backs coach. Welcome to Chicago, Coach Townsend. 📰: https://t.co/iVjxDHQswz pic.twitter.com/1ZKO7TqtuA — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 18, 2019 After his playing career wrapped up, Townsend spent time coaching defensive backs with the Arizona Cardinals, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Tennessee Titans and New York Giants. Townsend was with the Giants last year as an assistant DB coach. He will be elevated this year as the top coach at the position. The Bears also added Ronell Williams as a defensive quality control coach. The Bears currently have Sean Desai and Bill Shuey as defensive quality control coaches so look for one of them to potentially get promoted to a higher coaching position this season. There is a hot rumor that the Bears are also in the process of hiring Kansas State defensive coordinator Ted Monachino as what is presumed to be a linebackers coach, but the team has not announced anything official. Monachino spent time in Baltimore when Chuck Pagano was there and Pagano also brought in Monachino to the Indianapolis Colts to be his defensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017. There’s not a lot of defense played in the Big 12, but Monachino did have a serviceable defense under his leadership last season. Kansas State finished with the fourth best defense in the Big 12. The Bears’ still have a few different positional coaches still to be hired and it’s yet to be seen if they will hire Ed Reed as the assistant coach for the defensive backs or as a safety coach.