Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigns, says he needs to take care of his health and family

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned Wednesday, saying he had to take care of himself and his family.

“I am taking a step back to take care of my health and my family,” he said in a statement. “I appreciate the opportunity to work with the Chicago Bears, an NFL franchise with a rich history.”

Williams’ resignation comes just two games into his second season with the Bears. He missed last week’s loss at Tampa Bay for what the team said was personal reasons after working the opener against Green Bay.

Coach Matt Eberflus called the defense in Williams’ absence and plans to do so again when the Bears (0-2) visit Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (1-1) on Sunday.

Williams thanked the McCaskey family as well as Eberflus, general manager Ryan Poles and president Kevin Warren. He also promised to become a coach again.

“I appreciate the NFL Shield and everything it represents, and after taking the time to take care of my health, I plan to come back and coach again,” he said. -he declares.

Earlier in the day, Eberflus shed little light on the situation, saying he had “no updates at this time” when asked if Williams still had a job. He gave similar answers when asked if he anticipated Williams’ return this season and if the two had spoken.

The departure of Williams leaves an obvious void within the technical staff.

This raises the question of whether Eberflus can devote enough time to taking care of a struggling offense while running the defense. Eberflus said the Bears can do without a defensive coordinator and doesn’t see that becoming an issue because of the experience of his staff.

“I think with the experience we have on defense, I don’t think it’s a problem,” he said.

Chicago hired Williams in February 2022, shortly after Eberflus got the Bears head coaching job. Williams spent four seasons as Indianapolis’ safeties coach while Eberflus was the Colts’ defensive coordinator. This was his second stint in Indianapolis after coaching the defensive backs for 10 seasons from 2002-2011.

Williams was Minnesota’s defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013. He has more than three decades of coaching experience.

“I hope he’s OK, I hope everything’s OK, but when you get to the building, focus on the job first,” defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. “When you come here, everything else in the building goes away and you focus on what’s important and that’s the next game.”

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