The Seattle Seahawks passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, Sanjay Lal, interviewed for a position on the Bears' offensive staff. But he recently withdrew his name from consideration, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
This could mean Lal knew he wasn't in the running to get the job and saved himself time by withdrawing his name. Or, as Fowler pointed out, he might be zeroing in on another opportunity.
Lal, 54, has been in the NFL since 2007. He's worked with the Raiders, Jets, Bills, Colts, Cowboys, Jaguars and Seahawks. For the majority of his career, he's been a wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
The Bears still need a wide receivers and running backs coach.
The news of Lal's name withdrawal dropped shortly after news surfaced about the Bears' expectation to hire Kerry Joseph to be the team's quarterbacks coach under newly appointed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, sources told NBC Sports Chicago.
Joseph has spent the last two seasons as the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks. He was their assistant wide receivers coach in 2021 and an offensive assistant for running backs in 2020.
Chicago Bears
Joseph, along with Waldron and new Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, are credited with helping pilot Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith to a Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022.
The 50-year-old Joseph will be the quarterbacks coach for the American Team next week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The Bears have drafted several Senior Bowl participants over the past two seasons.
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Joseph spent his professional career in a multitude of places, including the Canadian Football League, where he was named Most Outstanding Player in 2007.
Joseph replaces Andrew Janock, who was fired along with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Waldron and Joseph will now become a vital duo to the trajectory of this Bears rebuild. The new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach will either be tasked with further elevating Justin Fields or developing Caleb Williams.
