When the Chicago Bears announced the unexpected hiring of Vic Fangio as their newest defensive coordinator, there was probably no holdover Bears player more excited with the news than linebacker/defensive end Shea McClellin.
McClellin, a versatile defender at Boise State who thrived in the 3-4, was unexpectedly drafted by the Bears with the 19th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and immediately asked to make the transition to 4-3 defensive end.
Two seasons of mediocre production led to a move to the strongside linebacker spot in 2014, though that didn't exactly qualify as a smashing success either.
In short, after three NFL seasons McClellin remains very much what he was when he was first drafted - an athletically gifted football player without a specific home in an NFL defense.
Fortunately for McClellin, who is still just 25, he will now look to find that home on the inside of Fangio's own brand of 3-4 in 2015.
"I play a game for a living. So the ultimate objective is to have fun," McClellin said recently, via Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune. "... If I don't play football beyond this year, it's not the end of the world. I'll move on with life. But I'll be the first to tell you that's not going to happen. I'm going to work my hardest to make sure of that."
While a new coaching staff led by John Fox and Fangio means a fresh set of eyes for McClellin's skill set, it also means a group of evaluators with no ties to McClellin making decisions on the newly-minted inside linebacker's NFL future.
"There is plenty on the line with the latest move as NFL teams are rarely enamored with defensive free agents who can't make an impact at three different spots," writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. "And if McClellin can't do it under John Fox, who knows a thing or two about scheming a defense, that will be another red flag. But he has the size and athleticism to rush the passer. He just needs to show he can do it when counted upon. His youth makes him a viable piece for the Bears, but first he needs to lock up a starting spot. That hasn't been guaranteed."
In three years as a member of Chicago's formerly formidable 4-3, McClellin amassed 80 tackles, 7.5 sacks and one pass defensed - abysmal numbers by the standard of either a defensive end or a full-time linebacker.
While a large portion of McClellin's failure to this point can likely be attributed to the fact that Chicago erred in drafting him in the first place - he was widely viewed as a candidate for a move to 3-4 outside linebacker prior to the 2012 draft - and the continual coaching turnover he's been forced to endure, much of it also falls at the feet of McClellin himself.
If he's not able to assimilate himself into Fangio's unit and deliver on the promise that made him a first-round pick just a few short seasons ago, his time in a Bears uniform could come to an end sooner, rather than later.
