Chris Beatty | Chicago Bears

Chris Beatty enters his first season with the Chicago Bears as wide receivers coach. He comes to Chicago with three seasons of NFL coaching experience and 15 seasons of collegiate experience. Most recently, Beatty spent three seasons as wide receivers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers.

During the 2021-23 seasons coaching the wide receivers, Beatty's group led all AFC receiving corps with 1,337 receptions. The group had combined for 14,117 receiving yards under Beatty, ranking second in the conference.

In 2023, the Chargers ranked first in targets (613) and first in targets per game (36.1). The Chargers 4,312 total receiving yards also ranked ninth in the NFL. Under Beatty's guidance, receiver Keenan Allen saw a career-high in receptions (108), a francise-record, for a total of 1,243 receiving yards. He ranked third amongst all NFL receivers in yards per game (95.6).

In 2022, Beatty helped the Los Angeles offense rank third in passing offense (269.6 net passing yards per game) and ninth in total offense (359.3 total net yards per game). They set a single-season NFL record by featuring six players, including four receivers — Keenan Allen, DeAndre Carter, Joshua Palmer and Mike Williams — with at least 500 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs. Beatty was key in tutoring Carter and Palmer to turn in career years in the face of injuries to the group.

In 2021, Beatty's first year with the club, the Chargers offense ranked fourth in the NFL in total offense (390.2 net yards per game) and first the AFC in passing offense (282.4 net passing yards per game). The unit scored 181 points in fourth quarters, the second-most in a single season in NFL history. Los Angeles ranked fifth in the league in third-down efficiency (45.2%) and led the NFL with 22 fourth down conversions and seven two-point conversions.

Williams enjoyed a breakout season under Beatty in 2021, setting career highs in catches (76) and receiving yards (1,146) while hauling in nine touchdowns. He registered a single-season NFL-record five go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter or overtime in 2021. Meanwhile, Allen recorded 106 receptions for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns, en route to his fifth-straight Pro Bowl. This also marked Allen's fifth-straight season with at least 95 catches, the second-longest streak in NFL history. Beatty was tasked with onboarding Palmer as a rookie in 2021, who caught four touchdowns on the season. Of Palmer's four scores, three came in the fourth quarter, ranking second among all rookie wide receivers.

Beatty joined the Chargers in 2021 after serving as wide receivers coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 2019-20. On top of developing premier talent on the perimeter for the Panthers' offense, Beatty held a prominent role in Pittsburgh's recruiting efforts. In 2019, two of Beatty's wide receivers, Maurice Ffrench and Taysir Mack, combined to record the most receptions by a pair of receivers in the Atlantic Coast Conference (159). With the help of Beatty, Ffrench's 96 catches in 2019 broke former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald's single-season school record. Beatty also recruited and developed future Biletnikoff Award-winner Jordan Addison.

Prior to Pittsburgh, Beatty spent three seasons (2016-18) at the University of Maryland, working with the wide receivers and handling associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator responsibilities over his final two seasons in College Park. During his time with the Terrapins, Beatty was integral in the development of eventual first-round draft selection, and current Bears wide receiver, DJ Moore, who was named 2017 Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year. On the recruiting landscape, Beatty's presence helped Maryland secure top-30 nationally-ranked recruiting classes in both the 2017 and 2018 recruiting cycles.

Beatty broke into coaching as the head coach at three Virginia high schools — North Stafford High (1998-2000), Salem High (2001-02) and Landstown High (2003-05). In those eight seasons, his teams combined for a 78-18 record. At Landstown, Beatty led the Eagles to three-straight state championship game appearances, winning the Virginia 3A State Championship in 2004 with future NFL wide receiver Percy Harvin III. He was named Virginia 3A Coach of the Year following that season, after coaching Landstown to a 14-0 record and a No. 9 national ranking.

His first opportunity as a college coach came in 2006, serving as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Hampton University. In Beatty's lone season with the Pirates, the team posted a 10-2 record and won the Mideastern Atlantic Conference to secure a Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth. His offense averaged 34.2 points per game, ranking seventh in the FCS. Hampton's 2006 team featured six players that eventually earned NFL contracts.

Beatty then spent one season (2007) as the running backs coach at Northern Illinois University, working alongside former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley when he was a graduate assistant for the Huskies. Beatty coached running back Justin Anderson to total 1,245 rushing yards that season.

From 2008-10, he coached the running backs and slot receivers at West Virginia University. Beatty tutored running back Noel Devine to accumulate over 3,600 rushing yards in their three years together. Over his final two seasons with the Mountaineers, Beatty developed and instructed wide receiver Tavon Austin, who was the eventual No. 8 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Beatty spent the 2011 season at Vanderbilt University as wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator, helping tutor future second-round draft choice Jordan Matthews. Following that year, he went to the University of Illinois, serving as co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Fighting Illini.

Over the next two seasons (2013-14), Beatty coached wide receivers at the University of Wisconsin. He added recruiting coordinator responsibilities for his second year in Madison, Wis. In those two seasons, the Badgers won 20 games and appeared in New Year's Day bowl games to cap each season. The 2014 Wisconsin team went 11-3, won the Big Ten West and defeated Auburn in the Outback Bowl. After his time in Wisconsin, Beatty spent the 2015 season as assistant head coach/running backs at the University of Virginia. He helped coach Taquan Mizzell to total nearly 1,500 scrimmage yards for the Cavaliers.

A native of Centreville, Va., Beatty played wide receiver for four seasons (1991-94) at East Tennessee State, ending his career as the program's all-time leader in receiving yards (1,813). He earned All-Southern Conference honors as a senior and graduated with a bachelor's degree in the spring of 1995. Beatty then went on to play in the Canadian Football League, signing with the CFL-expansion Baltimore Stallions in 1995. Two seasons later, he signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before retiring and beginning his coaching career.

Beatty and his wife, Kris, have a son, Aaron.