Over the weekend, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that the Bears soon will trim down their list of 13 known coaching candidates, conducting a second round of interviews that will involve not only G.M. Phil Emery but also team president Ted Phillips and members of ownership.
The first name of that list, per Mort, will be Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Bevell, who served as Vikings offensive coordinator before taking the same job two years ago with the Seahawks, has emerged primarily because of his work with rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, who has become one of the best young quarterbacks in the league despite being taken 75th overall in the 2012 draft.
The fact that Bevell’s Seahawks have beaten the Bears in Chicago in each of his two seasons on the job likely makes him even more attractive to Emery, who needs someone who can get the most out of quarterback Jay Cutler.
UPDATE 8:24 p.m. ET: David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears have narrowed their search to two candidates -- Bevell and, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Marc Trestman.
