The Chicago Bears had several big decisions ahead of them going into 2024. First on the agenda was deciding the fate of head coach Matt Eberflus. He'd been surrounded by questions after some ugly moments in 2023, including some questionable dismissals from his coaching staff, as well as a series of brutal 4th quarter collapses. Conversely, the team improved to 7-10 after going 3-14 the year before and saw major gains made across the roster, especially on the defensive side. That left GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren with a difficult decision.
In the end, they opted to keep Eberflus with the caveat that he overhauled his offensive staff. It was felt the head coach had shown enough progress and leadership to justify more time. Players gave strong support in exit interviews, feeling he had them on the right track. The question fans had is whether this was the right decision since it's clear the team plans to make a change at quarterback, utilizing their #1 overall pick. How much of a leash will Eberflus have? Warren spoke on this subject with Jarrett Payton of WGN TV.
His comments told a crystal clear story.
“I know for me – as a former student athlete, as an executive, as a lawyer – looking back over your life, if there ever have been mistakes it’s because you’ve tapped out too early. To really build something that will last the test of time, you have to give it time. I’m not saying an infinite amount of time, but it takes time to really build it.
“We were in a meeting one day and I said to Matt and Ryan, ‘Do you all realize that you’ve been here for 24 months?’ When you think about it, you’re talking about coming from organizations, so you’re talking about accepting a job, moving, moving your family, getting your kids in school, getting acclimated, new organization, hiring a coaching staff – it just takes time.
“You have to be impatiently patient. I just have always felt, it seems like even in businesses, that year three is always the year that you can determine, ‘are we on the right track?’ I feel very strongly that we are on the right trajectory.”
Kevin Warren isn't easing expectations for 2024.
It sounds like Eberflus won't get a pass if the team takes a step back next season. While he didn't indicate it's playoffs or bust, it seems as if Warren thinks this team should be able to improve on that 7-10 record last year with a rookie quarterback or not. Is that unfair? Not really. He just watched C.J. Stroud lead the Houston Texans to the postseason and win a wild card game against Cleveland. The Bears' roster is on par with theirs and should be even better by the time this off-season is concluded. Having higher expectations is justified.
At the same time, this leans into the fears many had that if the Bears faltered somewhat in 2024 that they'd change head coaches. The same thing happened with Mitch Trubisky (John Fox to Matt Nagy) and Justin Fields (Matt Nagy to Eberflus). Lack of stability around the QB has been a constant issue for the Bears going back years. Kevin Warren doesn't appear to have grasped that lesson. There is no telling what line Eberflus has to clear to keep his job. If he is gone after next season, it may yet again disrupt the development of another young quarterback.
