REPORT: Chicago Bears Find New D-Line Coach Through Old Friend
Two assistant coaching spots remained open at that start of Tuesday, February 8th for the Chicago Bears. Now it is down to one. Matt Eberflus tabbed young assistant Travis Smith to become their new defensive line coach. Prior to this appointment, he has served as the assistant defensive line coach for the Las Vegas Raiders for the previous three years. It shouldn’t be a surprise the Bears would target him. After all, he is an understudy of Rod Marinelli. One of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL and a mentor to Eberflus.
Some people will wonder why the Bears didn’t just hire Marinelli himself. He’s available after the coaching turnover in Vegas. There are likely two explanations for this. Either Marinelli is retiring (he’s 72-years old), or he might have plans to join another coaching staff. The most likely is the Houston Texans after they just got done hiring Lovie Smith as their new head coach. Somebody the longtime assistant has worked with before in Chicago.
The #Bears are hiring DL coach Travis Smith, source said. He has. spent the last several years with the #Raiders.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2022
Smith has worked with defensive linemen dating back to 2011.
He joined the Raiders in 2013 and worked to help a young Khalil Mack become one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. The fact he survived multiple head coaching changes during that period speaks to the type of coach he is. Every new regime thought it best to keep him around. Similar to what happened with Sean Desai in Chicago. Smith likely gained notoriety when he helped former 4th round pick Maxx Crosby develop into a Pro Bowl pass rusher.
In the three years they’ve worked together, the defensive end has 25 sacks and 105 total pressures. Don’t forget that Marinelli didn’t arrive until 2020. So all of the credit can’t go to him. Smith also got a chance to learn from Brentson Buckner, another good defensive line coach as he proved most recently in Arizona with the Cardinals. It felt like the young assistant was overdue for a promotion. His background makes him a perfect fit for what the Bears plan to do on defense.