Bears hire Juan Castillo as offensive line coach

One day after firing offensive line coach Harry Hiestand as a part of an overhaul of their offensive coach staff, the Bears hired Juan Castillo for the position on Wednesday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.

The 60-year-old Castillo most recently served as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Bills from 2017 to 2018. Buffalo finished in the top 10 in total rushing yards in the two seasons he spent with the team.

Castillo is a familiar face for Bears head coach Matt Nagy, as the two worked together on the Eagles’ coaching staff for five seasons. Castillo served as Philadelphia’s offensive line coach from 1998 to 2010 before being switched to defensive coordinator, a position he held for two seasons. Nagy was a coaching intern and a coaches’ assistant during his time with the team before following Andy Reid to Kansas City after the 2012 season.

After being fired by the Eagles, Castillo returned to coaching the offense by becoming the run game coordinator for the Ravens in 2013. He then became the offensive line coach and stayed in the role until 2016.

The Bears’ offensive line underwent surprising regression in 2019, struggling to create running lanes and faring worse in pass protection than they did the year before. Castillo’s experience working with offensive linemen and scheming the ground game attacks two weaknesses in Chicago’s performance from this year.