Matt Eberflus has been the Chicago Bears' head coach for over two weeks now, as he continues to fill his coaching staff. Eberflus takes over for Matt Nagy, who despite, having three disappointing seasons from 2019 to 2021, did help the Bears win the NFC North Division in his first year as head coach in 2018. Chicago's new head coach will have history working in his favor as many Bears' head coaches have shown promise and success in their first season.

Several Former Bears Head Coaches Showed Promise In Their First Season As Head Coach

The Bears have had six head coaches since the firing of legendary head coach Mike Ditka, following the embarrassing 1992 season. These head coaches include Dave Wannstedt, Dick Jauron, Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman, John Fox, and Nagy. In their first season as Bears' head coach, all but one was able to win six or more games during their inaugural season with Chicago. Furthermore, all six of Chicago's head coaches had their teams still in playoff contention heading into the final month of the season. Wannstedt took over as Chicago's head coach in 1993 and led the team to a 7-9 record. The 1993 Bears were in legitimate playoff contention in mid-December with a 7-5 record before losing their final four games of the season. Despite the late-season losing streak, Wannstedt's team would improve to 9-7 in 1994 and make it to the NFC Playoffs before being eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers. https://youtu.be/QjkFlNXyCnc Jauron replaced Wannstedt as the Bears' head coach in 1999 and made significant improvement following a four-win 1998 season. The 1999 Bears would win six games that season but played better than what their record showed. Five of Chicago's ten losses in 1999 were by four points or less, with two games being lost due to missed field goals at the end of regulation. In 2004, Smith was hired as the new head coach of the Bears and showed extreme promise, despite the team only winning five games that season. The 2004 Bears were hurt by several significant injuries, which led the team to have the worst offense in the NFL that season. Despite the injuries, the Bears' defense showed immense potential as they recorded over 25 turnovers while holding their opponents to 20 points or less in nine games. Chicago would win the NFC North Division the next two seasons and made it to Super Bowl 41.

Although Trestman's two-year coaching tenure with the Bears was a disaster, his 2013 team was one play away from winning the NFC North Division. The 2013 Bears team would finish 8-8 and featured the second-best offense in the NFL, only behind a historic Denver Broncos offense led by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. During Fox's three seasons as Chicago's head coach, his best season was his first in 2015. Despite only winning six games, the 2015 Bears played tough as five of their losses were by four points or less. Nagy's first season as Bears' head coach was the best by a first-year head coach in franchise history as the team won 12 games. Chicago would win the NFC North Division for the first time in eight years while featuring the best defense in the league. Following the 2018 season, Nagy received the AP Coach of the Year award.

Eberflus Is In A Good Spot To Be Successful In 2022

Eberflus will take over a Bears team that features a talented core of players on both offense and defense, something that few coaches have had to start their tenure. Although Nagy had a talented defense heading into the 2018 season, there were concerns about how the offense would perform with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky entering his second season. Although current Bears' quarterback Justin Fields will be entering his second season with the team, Chicago's offense has more pieces around Fields than Trubisky had in 2018.

Despite schematic changes coming on defense, Eberflus will have several Pro Bowl players to work with on defense unless there are any significant roster changes. Robert Quinn, Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith, and Jaylon Johnson are all under contract for next season and will create a quality defensive core for Eberflus. If Mack and Quinn stay healthy, Chicago's defense could feature the best pass rush in the NFL next season. Eberflus will have to guard against losing games next season due to critical mistakes. Several of Chicago's head coaches lost winnable games due to vital mistakes in their first season, including Wannstedt, Jauron, Trestman, Fox, and Nagy. All five Bears' coaches lost at least one game due to a missed kick at the end of regulation or overtime, as some of those games either cost the Bears a chance at a .500 season or a potential playoff berth.

Although expectations will not be high for Eberflus in his first season, he will have a chance to impress, given the success previous Bears head coaches have had in their first season with the team. Chicago's new head coach can win the fanbase over quickly if the Bears win games that they are not expected to in 2022. Eberflus will have a roster in place to make Chicago competitive in 2022, but it will be up to him to see how far they go.