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Bears to hire Chris Tabor for Special Teams Coordinator

The former Bears assistant with Dave Toub ties comes from Cleveland

NFL: New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

There is real actual coordinator news!

Just not for the defensive or offensive positions.

According to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs the Bears have tabbed former Dave Toub protege Chris Tabor, who was with the Bears under the ST coordinator guru from 2008 to 2010. He left to become the special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, where he’s been since.

Biggs reports that Tabor was allowed out of his contract by Browns coach Hue Jackson to return to Chicago, where he will bring the successful Toub special teams system with him.

Considering that Nagy worked with Toub in Kansas City, it’s likely Toub recommended his former assistant. Toub’s current assistant, former Bears linebacker Rod Wilson, is in his first season as an NFL special teams assistant and likely isn’t ready for a full time coordinator role quite yet.

Both of the long snappers the Bears used this season, Patrick Scales (who finished on injured reserve) and Andrew DePaolo are out of contract, along with punter Pat O’Donnell, so Tabor can have some input there. There are also a number of noted questions at kicker, where Cairo Santo could be a candidate to return or they could bring back Mike Nugent.

Elsewhere, he has dynamic returner Tarik Cohen and standouts such as Josh Bellamy, Sherrick McManis and Sam Acho.

What do you think of the hire? Do you like having a former Toub assistant?