The Chicago Bears made a difficult choice this off-season. Despite several notable head coaching candidates being available, they elected to keep Matt Eberflus for a third season. The logic was understandable. He'd overcome an ugly start to improve the team's record from three wins in 2022 to seven in 2023. It felt like the Bears were playing some of their best football down the stretch. Continuity often counts for something in this league. GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren felt the best thing to do was keep him in charge. By the sound of things, players in the locker room liked the decision. Cole Kmet was among them.
He and others became big believers in Eberflus over the course of this past season. Much of it had to do with his consistent message, preaching teamwork, hard work, and effort. If everybody does their job, you win football games. It took some time to get people on the same page, but the results started cropping up in the second half of the season. Kmet revealed that things really began to turn around once Eberflus took over as the defensive playcaller. He started earning a lot more respect once that happened.
Cole Kmet confirmed what others have said.
It's incredible how things played out. Eberflus didn't start the year calling the plays. He never had any plans to. However, Alan Williams struggled so much and then mysteriously resigned from the team in September. The head coach had no choice but to step into the role. After an adjustment period, the defense embarked on a remarkable turnaround that saw them play as one of the NFL's best in November and December. Now, with Eric Washington's arrival to help as the new defensive coordinator, it feels like the staff is much stronger than before.
Excitement is already building for Cole Kmet and others in the locker room. They felt the team had tapped into something last year. They started learning how to win. With some tweaks to the roster this off-season and hopefully more cohesion with the offensive scheme, the Bears have a chance to make some noise this fall. That will be made easier if Eberflus keeps the defense on track. Based on his track record since 2018, that is a relatively safe bet.
