Chris Ballard (photo/Kansas City Chiefs)
The Chicago Bears fired GM Phil Emery (former Chiefs director of scouting for the Chiefs) and head coach Marc Trestman on December 29th. On Wednesday, the Bears interviewed Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard and Saints director of player personnel Ryan Pace. Ballard is highly regarded by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
“Chris is a tremendous person and very sharp at what he does in the personnel side of things,” Reid told reporters last week. “He and GM John Dorsey work hand-in-hand. I think he has a bright future in this business and quite potentially as a general manager.”
Ballard is one of four finalists who have interviewed. Ballard, Pace, Texans director of pro scouting Brian Gaine and Titans vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson are on the Bears’ radar. While Ballard has been with the Chiefs the last couple of season, he also has ties to the Bears. He was a scout from 2001-11 under former Bears’ GM Jerry Angelo and the team’s director of pro personnel in 2012 under Emery. He is considered the favorite.