Matt Eberflus remains the head coach of the Chicago Bears. Despite pleas from fans and media, that is unlikely to change for the next two months. The McCaskey family has never fired a coach midseason. As bad as things have been, not enough has happened to break that tradition. For better or worse, Eberflus will be allowed to finish out the year. However, it is becoming apparent that he's on borrowed time. The Bears have fallen from 4-2 to 4-5. He just fired his second offensive coordinator in 11 months. Quarterback Caleb Williams is regressing badly. Nothing has gone right since the fateful Hail Mary in Washington, which Eberflus played a central role in letting happen.
No final decision has been made. Once the season ends, George McCaskey and Kevin Warren must confer to determine what to do. Eberflus is probably gone. The first question is whether GM Ryan Poles should join him. From there, a search must be conducted for a replacement. Dan Graziano of ESPN revealed some interesting details from his sources around the league. There is a widespread belief that Chicago will focus primarily on quarterback specialists.
Yeah, I think there's a feeling around the league the Bears probably will be looking for a new coach in the offseason, and that their targets will be QB-centric guys. That might not be fair to current head coach Matt Eberflus, but his inability to select a successful offensive coordinator could be what does him in. Looking at the rest of the division, Bears ownership sees young star coaches in Minnesota and Green Bay and the ultimate culture-building coach in Detroit. So it is probably going to want to make a dynamic and exciting hire -- especially one who maximizes their investment in Williams.
The plans from the Chicago Bears aren't surprising.
Everything about their future is centered on whether they can turn Williams into the star he's capable of becoming. Eberflus has already shown he can't handle that responsibility. The Bears must bring in somebody with the expertise to put Williams in the best position to succeed. This is hardly a novel concept. Plenty of organizations have done it over the years. The most recent examples include Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow, Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence, Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa, and Brian Callahan and Will Levis. While not always successful, it is the most proven concept for ensuring long-term franchise stability.
The Chicago Bears have tried it twice before. In 2013, they hired Marc Trestman to help elevate Jay Cutler after some difficult years under Lovie Smith. Then, in 2018, they brought in Matt Nagy to develop Mitch Trubisky. Both attempts were failures. It isn't just about adding an offensive guy. They must find one who can fill two roles: being a good play-caller and a leader. It isn't easy. Chicago had a shot at Bruce Arians in 2013 and Matt Lafleur in 2018. Could the third time be the charm?
Names like Ben Johnson, Kliff Kingsbury, Todd Monken, Joe Brady, Drew Petzing, Kellen Moore, and Liam Coen will likely be mentioned frequently in the next few months.
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