Chad Morton brings passion, energy, competition to Bears practices
Story by Gabby Hajduk
When the Bears defense huddles up in 11-on-11 drills during training camp practices, a 12th man can occasionally be spotted lurking around and attempting to infiltrate the unit.
In the mix of white jerseys and 6-foot, 200+-pound frames, a 5-foot-8 man sporting a navy hoodie sticks out like a sore thumb. And if that wasn't easy enough to identify him, his booming voice—accompanied with a heavy dose of trash talk—makes it obvious who the outlier is in the group: running backs coach Chad Morton.
"There is no telling what Chad is gonna say out of his mouth," nickelbacks coach David Overstreet II said. "He might say something like, 'are you guys here today?' or 'yo, we got that first down.'
"There's no telling what he's gonna say. But as soon as he comes running over, we all expect something."
At Bears practices, it's typical for fans, coaches and players to be enamored by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams' accuracy on the run, Pro Bowl pass rusher Montez Sweat's physicality or 12-year receiver Keenan Allen's best-in-class route-running.
But even in the midst of all the star power, it's impossible not to be drawn to Morton, who flies downfield alongside his running backs like he did during his seven-year NFL career as a return specialist and talks trash like he's an All-Pro cornerback.
Morton is in his first year with the Bears after being hired as part of new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's staff. His energetic and competitive demeanor stand out on the practice field, but his players and fellow coaches are learning there is a well-intended method to his madness.
"Very high energy," running back Khalil Herbert said of Morton. "High energy. He's going every day, he's on every day. The guys gravitate towards that. He's pushing not just us, but every group on the offense. You will probably hear him running and screaming. But we feed off of that … and it gets us going, gets the juices flowing."
About a week into training camp, the entire Bears defense was called into the safeties meeting room. A large spread of Popeyes chicken was laid out for everybody — players and coaches alike — to enjoy.
The meal was provided by Morton, who turned a defeat in practice into a unifying gesture between him and the defense.
It all started when Bears assistant coaches created a takeaway competition back in OTAs. It's a tradition that Morton and safeties coach Andre Curtis brought over from Seattle, where the pair coached together for seven seasons. The coach on the side of the ball that wins the takeaway battle for two days out of a three-day practice period is treated to food by the opposite unit's coaches.
During this year's OTA practices, the offense came out victorious when they went three days without giving up the ball, so Curtis and Overstreet were tasked with buying chicken for the entire offensive staff. In the first competition of training camp, the defense came out on top, which included a day of practice where the group forced at least three takeaways.
Instead of only bringing in Popeyes for the defensive coaches, Morton used the opportunity to thank the defense for challenging their counterparts and give the group a better idea of who he is.
"I wanted to do it for the defense just to let them know that as much trash talk I do — and it's not malicious — that it's for a reason," Morton said. "I still care about the defense as much as I do the offense. So it was just a gesture of, 'I appreciate you guys working hard.' We're a team, and no matter how much we compete out there, we're still one. Just wanted to get the team going and bring the team a little bit closer together."
Morton knows his approach is different than most coaches, especially on the offensive side of the ball. He purposefully plays the villain role and becomes the antagonist at practice, hoping to provoke each player's competitive side, entice them to play harder and bring the team closer together.
Morton expects players to be thrown off or even bothered by his energy and loud mouth at first. But he knows that over time, his intentions became clear with his new players and coaches.
Morton calls himself a "big game hunter." His favorite players to target on the practice field are the big guys, like linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards or defensive ends Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker. He intentionally seeks out the larger, more competitive players to elicit a greater reaction.
His reasoning?
"You gotta try to establish dominance too out there," Morton explained. "I don't care how big you are, like, let's go."
"To have Chad out there, it’s like having a playmate to play with at recess. When you were in elementary school, you go out there and you try to find your friend that’s in another class so y'all can go play outside. That's what me and Chad do." David Overstreet II
The Bears secondary is also a common target of Morton's antics. One defensive back he especially enjoys messing with is veteran safety Kevin Byard III.
"He's quiet until I start getting him going a little bit, then he gets real fired up," Morton said. "He don't like it. He does not like it. I love him, too. He's one of my favorites, just because you don't expect it from him.
"But the fun thing about it is, I know in the beginning, they probably hated me. They probably couldn't stand me, like 'who is this little 4-foot-11 guy out here talking trash?' But, I actually spent a lot of time with these guys on the outside, just in the halls and sitting down with them and talking. So they understand where I'm coming from. I think they know there's a level of respect with it."
When Morton sprints over to the defensive sideline after a play — whether to boast about a big gain or chirp at a defender for putting a little too much power behind a hit on his player — he's always met with the same level of intensity from the defense. While it can often look chippy, it's the unit's way of showing respect.
"We go to the sideline, everybody's up on 'Maine and we're getting hyped, and [Morton] always just wants to walk in the huddle," Byard said. "So next time he might get scooped up a little bit just to let him know to stop getting in our huddle.
"Nah, it's fun. He's actually my favorite offensive coach, honestly, just because of that, just the energy that he brings every single day. That's what you want, man.
"As a team, it's not just about offense, defense — you want to be able to mingle around and stuff like that. So it's just fun, and you need that during training camp because it gets long. So you want to be able to have some fun throughout."
Morton enjoys that back and forth with the players, but the real fun comes when he and Overstreet start talking to each other.
On the field, it appears as if the pair have known each other for years. But the first time they met was after Morton accepted the job in Chicago. Both Morton and Overstreet exude an equal amount of energy and competitive drive and described their connection as "instant."
The trash talk between the two not only increases the level of competition among the players, it gives the entire team —coaches included— something to take their mind off the daily grind and exhaustion of training camp.
While players have off days once or twice a week, coaches are at Halas Hall every day. As the days and weeks have passed, Morton and Overstreet know their relationship is a necessity. It fosters an environment of unity and trust, keeping each other afloat during the dog days of summer preparation.
"It reminds you that football is fun," Overstreet said. "Because football is fun. We love it. So you gotta go out and have some fun with it. You can't just be serious all the time. As a coach, I do not wanna sit at my desk all day — so when I go out there on the field, it's like recess.
"To have Chad out there, it's like having a playmate to play with at recess. When you were in elementary school, you go out there and you try to find your friend that's in another class so y'all can go play outside. That's what me and Chad do — we go play outside now."
Occasionally, running back D'Andre Swift thinks Morton can beat him in a downfield sprint during practice.
"He don't stretch or nothing," Swift added. "He just gets right to it. I know he used to run track. He be looking a little fast out there, so we might have to line it up one of these days."
It's another rare coaching tactic Morton utilizes and one that symbolizes his standards for his position group.
No matter how a play unfolds or when the whistle is blown during team periods, Bears running backs are expected to finish every carry by running until they hit the end zone. The catch? Morton almost always runs alongside his player.
"He demands a lot," Herbert said. "And that just pushes all of us. It pushes me, just knowing that I gotta do a little bit more and a little bit more. He demands that out of you. So it allows me to go out there and put in some work."
Despite being a new demand of the Bears running back room, finishing every play is something Morton has preached since his playing days. As a fifth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2000, Morton always felt like he had to make a name for himself. So every time he touched the ball in practice – whether it was a handoff or a kick return – he sprinted all the way to the end zone.
"It's just a work ethic type of deal," Morton said. "It's like, why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you finish? Why would you not try to be the best? Why would you not try to score every single time? I make it a point for those guys to do it too, and sometimes it's hard because they're not used to it. A lot of effort goes into it, and you're tired. I try to do it now for them as well, so they can see me doing it. That way, there's really no excuse. If your coach is doing it, you have to do it."
That work ethic is a direct result of Morton's upbringing. Born and raised in Torrance, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, Morton learned competition and hard work from his parents and two older brothers.
Everything in the Morton family was a competition growing up, whether it was sports or board games. Monopoly was the family's game of choice, and Morton's father didn't just want to win. According to Chad, "he wanted to bury us."
"My parents were relentless in our pursuit of wanting to be great, and they were so competitive," Morton said. "My dad was extremely competitive. And it's funny because I tell people all the time — they were obviously very supportive, but I didn't have the one parent who was tough and the other one who was like, 'come cry on my shoulder.' I didn't have any of that. My mom was just as tough."
Those traits also extended to his brothers, both of whom played football. The oldest — Johnnie Morton — played 12 years in the NFL, while the middle child — Eric Morton — played collegiately at Dartmouth and is now a lawyer in Japan.
Chad remembers a time in high school when he went home to take a nap instead of going to lift weights. He recalls his brothers waking him up and forcing him to head back to school and get the workout in.
Those moments, along the heated game nights, created a drive that has never left him.
"They were all great in terms of that," he added. "It's just who I am. It's just all from upbringing."
The intensity and drive that fueled Morton as a kid and as a player still does in his coaching career. It's perfect for his new role in Chicago.
After spending the last 10 years (2014-23) as an assistant in Seattle after five seasons (2009-13) in Green Bay, Morton was brought along to Chicago by Waldron, who served as the Seahawks' offensive coordinator the past three seasons.
"I have to sacrifice for [the players]. Because if I don't do it, who's gonna do it? So I try to set an example for them and keep pushing them. I just love these players. I just want the best for them.” Chad Morton
The chance to continue working with Waldron played a large role in Morton coming to the Bears. His familiarity with the offensive scheme gave him an initial sense of comfort, but that was just a bonus. As soon as he grasped the culture coach Matt Eberflus had instilled in the team the past two seasons — particularly through his 'HITS' principle — Morton was hooked.
"I feel right at home under him and the 'HITS' principle; it's what I believe in," Morton said. "So I love it. Every time coach is at the front of the meeting room — he's a man of few words too — he's just locked in and serious and demanding, and I just love that. I love it. That's who I am. I know that's who he is.
"It's easy to follow him. You don't have to do anything extra to buy into what he's preaching, just because it's part of me. So I just love it. I just try to relay that message anytime I can to the other players."
Those shared principles, especially hustle and intensity, are at the core of Morton's personality and coaching style, and translate to high expectations for the running back room as he constantly pushes his players to work just a little bit harder or finish a run just a little bit quicker.
Morton is extremely self-aware of the standards he is setting for his group. He knows his demands are tough and hard to meet throughout the grueling nature of training camp. But he's also confident that his intentions are true and will set not only the running backs up for successful seasons, but elevate the entire Bears roster to a new level.
"I'm just so thankful that coach hired me here," Morton said. "I just owe it to him every day to give my best. He always talks about 'how you do one thing is how you do everything.' Every day I try to give thanks to him through my work ethic out there. It's hard, now. There's days where I have to talk to myself, I have to sit in my office and try to get focused and reset myself.
"But I have to sacrifice for [the players]. Because if I don't do it, who's gonna do it? So I try to set an example for them and keep pushing them. I just love these players. I just want the best for them."
