Bears hire Clancy Barone as tight ends coach

As first reported by the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, but now made official by the team, the Chicago Bears have hired 56-year old Clancy Barone as their tight ends coach.

Barone last coached in 2018 with the Minnesota Vikings as their offensive line coach after spending the previous year as their tight ends coach. Those are the two jobs he held during his 15 years coaching at the NFL ranks, where he also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, the San Diego Chargers, and the Denver Broncos. He won a Super Bowl ring as the Broncos o-line coach in 2015.

He’s coached several Pro Bowlers on both the offensive line and at tight end, but his work with tight ends is unprecedented.

Barone became the first tight end coach to have 4 different tight ends from 4 different teams make the Pro Bowl.

Prior to coming to the NFL he coached various colleges from 1987 to 2003, where he again coached tight ends and offensive line, although he was the offensive coordinator of the Texas State Bobcats in 2003.

From 1994 to 1996 he was the o-line coach and recruiting coordinator at Eastern Illinois and while there he recruited a linebacker from Texas’ Edward S. Marcus High School named Ryan Pace. Yes, that Ryan Pace. “He showed good toughness on film,” Barone said of Pace back in 1995 via the Journal Gazette. “He was quick and a good athlete.”

For those looking for a small Bears coaching connection, Barone coached with Pat Shurmur when Shurmur was the offensive coordinator of the Vikings in 2017, and of course we all know that Shurmur and Bears head coach Matt Nagy both fall under the Andy Reid coaching tree.

What are your thoughts on this latest Bears coaching hire?

And is it just me, or does Barone resemble Bruce Campbell?