The Bears on Saturday interviewed Todd Bowles and Dan Quinn for their head-coaching position.
Both are currently defensive coordinators for NFC teams that won division championships this season—Bowles with the Buccaneers and Quinn with the Cowboys.
Bowles boasts 22 years of NFL coaching experience, including four seasons as head coach of the Jets from 2015-18.
He joined Tampa Bay as defensive coordinator in 2019 and helped the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl in 2020, when Tampa Bay's defense led the NFL in takeaways (34) and rushing yards (80.6 per game), tied for second in tackles-for-loss (91) and tied for fourth in sacks (48).
In a 31-9 rout of the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers held a potent Kansas City offense without a touchdown while also generating two interceptions and three sacks.
In 2021, the Buccaneers defense tied for fifth in the NFL in points allowed, yielding an average of 20.8 per game.
Bowles started his NFL coaching career in 2000 as defensive backs coach with the Jets. He then worked for the Browns as secondary/nickel package coach (2001-03) and defensive backs coach (2004) before serving as defensive backs coach with the Cowboys (2005-07).
Bowles then joined the Dolphins as defensive backs coach and assistant head coach (2008-11). He served as interim head coach late in the 2011 season after Tony Sparano was fired, winning two of Miami's final three games.
Bowles was hired by the Eagles as defensive backs coach in 2012 and became Philadelphia's interim defensive coordinator midway through the season after Juan Castillo was fired.
Bowles served as Cardinals defensive coordinator in 2013-14. He was named Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014 after Arizona's defense helped the Cardinals earn a wild-card playoff berth with an 11-5 record.
As a player, Bowles appeared in 117 NFL games with 82 starts as a safety over eight seasons with Washington (1986-90 and 1992-93) and the 49ers (1991), recording 15 interceptions, two sacks and seven fumble recoveries.
Quinn possesses 20 years of NFL coaching experience. In six seasons as head coach of the Falcons from 2015-20, he compiled a 43-42 record. In 2016, Atlanta won the NFC West with an 11-5 mark and reached the Super Bowl. The Falcons qualified for the playoffs again in 2017 as a wild card with a 10-6 record.
Quinn is in his first year as Cowboys defensive coordinator. This season the Dallas defense ranked seventh in the NFL in points allowed (21.1), and first in interceptions (25) and third-down efficiency (32.2 percent).
Two Cowboys defenders were voted first-team All-Pro and named to the Pro Bowl: Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons registered 84 tackles and ranked sixth in the NFL with 13.0 sacks, while cornerback Trevon Diggs led the league with 11 interceptions.
Quinn began his NFL coaching career with the 49ers as a defensive quality coach (2001-02) before being elevated to defensive line coach (2003-04).
He then worked as defensive line coach with the Dolphins (2005-06), Jets (2007-08) and Seahawks (2009-10), also serving as an assistant head coach with Seattle.
Quinn then served as defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at the University of Florida in 2011-12 before returning to the NFL as Seahawks defensive coordinator in 2013-14.
In 2013, the Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. Seattle was powered by a defense that led the NFL in points allowed (14.4 per game), yards allowed (273.6) and takeaways (39), the first team to accomplish that feat since the famed 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears.
As a player, Quinn was a four-year starting defensive lineman from 1990-93 at Salisbury State University, a Division III school in Maryland.
Since beginning the search process nine days ago, the Bears have interviewed 11 candidates for the general manager position and 10 for the head-coaching job:
Wednesday, Jan. 12
Glenn Cook (GM)
Doug Pederson (HC)
Thursday, Jan. 13
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (GM)
Champ Kelly (GM)
Friday, Jan. 14
Jeff Ireland (GM)
Brian Flores (HC)
Saturday, Jan. 15
Monti Ossenfort (GM)
Jim Caldwell (HC)
Nathaniel Hackett (HC)
Sunday, Jan. 16
Joe Schoen (GM)
Brian Daboll (HC)
Monday, Jan. 17
Ed Dodds (GM)
Matt Eberflus (HC)
Tuesday, Jan. 18
Eliot Wolf (GM)
Wednesday, Jan. 19
Ran Carthon (GM)
Thursday, Jan. 20
Reggie McKenzie (GM)
Byron Leftwich (HC)
Friday, Jan. 21
Ryan Poles (GM)
Leslie Frazier (HC)
Saturday, Jan. 22
Todd Bowles (HC)
Dan Quinn (HC)
