Tom Herman Making Odd Jump From Texas To NFL

The Chicago Bears were a playoff team last season, but don't mistake that success for efficient and effective offense. It's an area the franchise has struggled with for some time now. Don't look now, but help could be on its way to the Windy City.

On Monday, the team's official Twitter account revealed that former Texas head coach Tom Herman would be joining the staff. It isn't in a role you would expect, however. It's as an offensive analyst/special projects coach -- whatever that means.

So, Urban Meyer will be making his first leap to the NFL level with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and his former offensive coordinator at Ohio State will be doing the same. They'll be filling very different roles, but talk about timing.

This is an odd move for Herman.

Sure, plenty of former head coaches take an off-field analyst role after being fired. Just ask Nick Saban and Alabama. But making the leap to the NFL in an analyst role seems unusual. Who knows, maybe someone else can point out an example I'm forgetting.

In some ways, I like the move though. Chicago needs some innovation and creativity, and maybe Herman's input behind the scenes can help with that. His vast experience as a play-caller and quarterbacks coach could help too.

If his past work with Greg Ward Jr. (Houston) and Braxton Miller (Ohio State) are any indication, he's got a knack for turning wide receivers into passable quarterbacks. I wonder if Allen Robinson has any interest in a position switch.

In all seriousness, this is a no-lose situation for the Bears. And it will be interesting to see where Herman's coaching career goes from there. He's only 45 years old, after all.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.