LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears answered their most immediate offseason question. The biggest one, however, still lingers.
The Bears said Wednesday they are sticking with coach Matt Eberflus after the team showed improvement over the second half of the season following a brutal start. They were noncommittal when it came to the franchise’s quarterback situation, whether they are staying with Justin Fields or taking Caleb Williams or Drake Maye with the No. 1 overall pick.
While Eberflus is coming back, there will be some big changes to his staff.
The Bears have fired most of their offensive assistants, including coordinator Luke Getsy after two seasons. Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, running backs coach Omar Young and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts also were let go.
General manager Ryan Poles said he was impressed with Eberflus’ “leadership through hard times.”
“We had some adversity early in the season, in the middle of the season, his ability to stand strong and keep the team together was incredible,” Poles said.
As for the quarterback situation? Stay tuned on that.
The Bears were in a similar situation a year ago. They dealt the top pick to Carolina for a haul that included top receiver DJ Moore and the Panthers’ first-rounder in 2024. That turned out to be the No. 1 selection after Carolina finished with a 2-15 record.
“I’ve got to weigh all those things to see what’s going to help our team take the next step,” Poles said.
The Bears won five of seven late in the season behind an improved defense and finished with a 7-10 record after having a league-worst 3-14 mark in 2022. But for fans clamoring for a fresh start, particularly with the No. 1 pick and a shot at a potential franchise-changing quarterback, the moves announced Wednesday probably didn’t go far enough.
At 10-24, Eberflus has the third-worst record in franchise history. Only John Fox (14-34 from 2015-17) and Abe Gibron (11-30-1 from 1972-74) have a worse winning percentage.
The Bears blew double-digit, fourth-quarter leads in three of their losses. And they bookended the season with losses to rival Green Bay — at home in the opener and then at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
“I just feel here, with the people that we have in this building, the changes that we’ve started to make today, the people that we will hire, the core group of players that we have, the draft capital that we have, the salary cap situation that we’re in, the free agents, just look what was accomplished,” said team president Kevin Warren, who completed his first season.
“I’ll firmly believe, go back 12 months ago and look at the progress that we’ve made. And so once you feel like, yes, you’re not where you want to be, we’re not where we’re going to be, but we’re pointed in the right direction.”
Warren mentioned the Rams going 5-11 and 4-12 in their first two seasons under Dick Vermeil before winning the Super Bowl in Year 3. Warren worked in their front office at the time.
“They were ready to fire all of us and then look what happens,” he said.
Poles said he made the call to stick with Eberflus and that Warren and team chairman George McCaskey “were on the same page” as him. He also said he did not reach out to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh or his agent.
“No, like I said, we’re going with Matt and I gave you the reasons why,” Poles said. “I didn’t go through … I didn’t go talk to anybody.”
The Bears are in a bit of an awkward situation with a coach with uncertain long-term security and openings for offensive and defensive coordinators. It’s not clear if the new defensive coordinator will call plays, something Eberflus did following Alan Williams’ resignation early in the season.
“It’s something I’ve stated I love to do,” he said. “But as we talk to these candidates, we’re going to keep everything open right now.”
The Bears plan to bring back their defensive assistants.
Candidates for offensive coordinator will be interviewing for the job not knowing if Fields or perhaps Williams or Maye will be their quarterback. Poles sees that as a positive for the Bears.
“I love it because you have to (tell us) what are you going to do for these four different types of quarterbacks?” he said. “I want to hear that and it’s really important to see the versatility and the adaptability in their teaching and the way they implement a plan, scheme, adjust. I think it actually makes it pretty dynamic in terms of the interview process.”
Eberflus said the decision to fire Getsy was his. Though the Bears finished second in rushing after leading the league in 2022, they ranked near the bottom in passing each of the past two seasons.
“Yeah, just the growth and the development of the offense to me needed to be better than what it was,” he said. “To me, you look at the passing game, certainly that’s one aspect of it. And that’s where it is. We decided to move on from that.”
