Another GM Candidate Reportedly Impressed Chicago Bears Brass

As things stand, the Chicago Bears now have 16 candidates to sort through for their vacant GM position. This suggests two things. That they are intent on gathering as much information as possible and that the position itself is in high demand. Both are encouraging. Yet as the process plays out, it is becoming clear the Bears aren’t in a hurry. They’re being methodical in their approach and making sure to do this right.

Still, fans are getting anxious. Word from the team has been minimal outside of who they’ve interviewed. People are dying to know if any candidates have stood out thus far. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, the man who broke the Ryan Pace news last week, revealed that Cleveland Browns VP of player personnel Glenn Cook made a strong impression in his meeting with the team. Now it appears another has done so as well. Tennessee Titans VP of player personnel Monti Ossenfort.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus confirmed hearing the same.

It’s hard for GM candidates to break through in these interviews. But I think Glenn Cook and Monti Ossenfort did.

More to come…

— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) January 17, 2022

Have heard the same on Ossenfort https://t.co/u4Brl4aall

— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) January 17, 2022

Ossenfort is an interesting name. He came up as a scout with the New England Patriots starting in the 2000s, playing a role in their remarkable success during that period. Then in 2014, he was promoted to director of college scouting. A position he would hold for the next six seasons. During which the Patriots won three Super Bowls. Over that span, they drafted several players that helped make it happen including James White, Shaq Mason, Trey Flowers, Joe Thuney, Deatrich Wise, Isaiah Wynn, and Sony Michel.

Yet what may have stood out the most during Ossenfort’s tenure was how good the Patriots were at finding undrafted free agents. The list includes Malcolm Butler, David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, J.C. Jackson, Adam Butler, and Jakobi Meyers. So he understands the value of finding talent from just about any background. A trait that has carried over to his time in Tennessee where guys like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (UDFA), Elijah Molden (3rd round), and Naquan Jones (UDFA) have all made big contributions to that team claiming the #1 seed in the playoffs.

Chicago Bears are wise to look into Ossenfort

Everybody loves to say that head coaches who come from New England turn out to be almost universally awful. While that is true for the most part, the situation is far different when it comes to GM candidates. In fact, New England has produced a number of success stories over the past several years.

• Scott Pioli – Got Kansas City to the playoffs in 2010
• Thomas Dimitroff – Led Atlanta to two NFC championships and a Super Bowl in 2016
• Jason Licht – Won a Super Bowl as GM in Tampa Bay
• Jon Robinson – Made playoffs four times in six seasons with Tennessee

From a GM perspective, the Patriot Way seems to do well in other locations.

Ossenfort must have sold it well to the Chicago Bears. Enough to most likely earn a second interview. This time in person. While he might not be the “favorite” for the job at this point, he cleared one of the most difficult hurdles to change that. Based on the videos above, it is evident he has a great understanding of what must be done in order for an organization to have success.