For Chicago Bears fans, the name didn’t immediately register.
When reports surfaced that the Bears had requested an interview with Arizona Cardinals passing game specialist Connor Senger for their vacant offensive coordinator position, the reaction wasn’t excitement or outrage. It was hesitation. A familiar pause.
Because this feels like something they’ve seen before.
Just one year ago, the Bears shocked much of the fanbase by hiring Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator. At 28 years old and with no significant NFL résumé, Doyle arrived as a complete unknown. Opinions were scarce. Confidence was borrowed. Trust was mandatory.
Now, history appears to be nudging forward again.
After Doyle accepted the offensive coordinator job in Baltimore last week, Chicago wasted little time beginning the replacement process.
And according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the first interview request went to Senger—another young, lightly documented assistant whose rise has happened mostly behind the scenes.
Senger’s path is unconventional, but deliberate. A former quarterback at Wisconsin and Wisconsin–Oshkosh, he transitioned into coaching shortly after his playing career ended.
He joined the Cardinals in 2023 as an offensive quality control coach, climbed to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024, and earned the title of passing game specialist in 2025.
That’s a fast ascent. But it’s also a quiet one.
Most fans know little about Senger beyond his age, ambition, and the fact that he’s already drawn interest around the league.
Rapoport noted that both the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers recently interviewed him for quarterbacks coach roles. That alone suggests NFL decision-makers see something worth betting on.
Still, betting on potential is uncomfortable—especially in Chicago.
The difference this time is the man leading the search.
Ben Johnson is no longer an unknown variable. In his first season as Bears head coach, Johnson delivered results that reshaped expectations.
Chicago won the NFC North for the first time since 2018. The franchise snapped a 15-year playoff win drought with a dramatic Wild Card victory over the Packers. The offense didn’t just improve—it stabilized.
That success matters now.
Because if Johnson believes Connor Senger is ready for a coordinator role, fans may not understand the reasoning—but they’re far more inclined to accept it. Johnson has earned something rare in Chicago: the benefit of the doubt.
That doesn’t mean blind faith has vanished. It means skepticism has softened.
Senger represents a familiar archetype: young, unproven, hungry, and potentially ahead of the curve. The kind of coach whose influence isn’t visible on a résumé, but felt in meeting rooms and practice scripts. The kind Johnson has shown he values.
What’s still unclear is whether Senger is the favorite or simply the first domino. More interviews are expected in the coming days, and the Bears are unlikely to drag the process out. Free agency decisions, roster evaluations, and draft planning all hinge on the offensive coordinator’s identity.
Time matters.
So does alignment.
Johnson’s success has been rooted in coherence—schemes that match personnel, coaches who speak the same language, and systems that don’t fight themselves. Whoever fills this role will need to fit seamlessly, not dominate the room.
That’s where Senger’s appeal may lie.
But until more names surface, Bears fans are left with a familiar feeling: cautious optimism wrapped in uncertainty. They’ve been asked to trust a process before. Last time, it worked.
The question now isn’t whether Connor Senger is the right hire.
It’s whether Ben Johnson has once again seen something most people can’t—and whether Chicago is ready to believe him again.
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