The Chicago Bears kept head coach Matt Eberflus after firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and most of the offensive staff. Now Eberflus needs to do well or he’s next on the chopping block.
The first move the Chicago Bears made this offseason was one many expected — they fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and most of the offensive coaches. The Bears struggled on offense and Getsy failed to adapt to quarterback Justin Fields‘ skillset.
Another move that many people thought (wanted) would be made wasn’t. The Bears brass decided to keep head coach Matt Eberflus. Despite owning a 10-24 record in his two seasons in Chicago, General Manager Ryan Poles and President Kevin Warren loved how he kept the players engaged throughout the tough times.
Despite not having the weapons to be competitive throughout the season, Eberflus’ teams had 16 one-score games. Additionally, the unit experienced a big turnaround when he took over the defense. The defense ranked #1 against the run after ranking 31st the year before. Also, it ranked #5 in turnovers, including #1 in interceptions.
That was enough to overcome the bad record and the sometimes questionable gametime decisions.
Eberflus is on the hot seat already
Despite not receiving a pink slip, Eberflus cannot relax. He knows he just got a reprieve. He did a bit more to show he had potential than Getsy. Now he has to go out and turn everything around.
Poles is in a similar position he was last offseason. Once again, he owns the #1 pick in the draft. That is a valuable pick to have and Poles can control the draft with his moves. He also has an opportunity to really set the team to be strong not only in 2024 but beyond.
Poles can trade the top pick, as well as the ninth pick that the Bears own as well, and acquire many additional draft picks. Some experts say he could receive three first-round picks from quarterback-needy teams ready to pounce on incredible talents such as Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
Of course, he could decide to trade Fields and select one of those prospects. However, when he came to Chicago Poles said he wanted to build mainly through the draft. He has acquired a tremendous number of picks in his two years as GM. He can get even more with two top-ten picks.
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In addition to having great draft position, Poles and the Chicago Bears will have plenty of salary cap space to go out and find quality free agents. Last year, he had almost $100 million in cap space to use. Of course, the roster had a huge number of holes. He had to be prudent and not go on a big shopping spree with big-name players. By avoiding that, he strengthened the roster without blowing the budget.
As a result, the Bears have about $51 million to spend currently. That could dramatically change, though. They could part ways with safety Eddie Jackson, offensive lineman, Cody Whitehair, and running back Travis Homer. Those cuts would put them at about $75 million in cap space. With fewer holes to fill, that is plenty of money to find quality players.
That means Eberflus has to be on his game. The team will be stronger and his performance needs to improve. In the first two seasons, wins and losses were not a big priority. The Bears just wanted to tear the roster down first. Now that the team is stronger and improving even more this offseason, the wins will be a big priority.
The Bears cannot have another season filled with frustrating losses. They could have been ahead of schedule had it not been for three late-game collapses. Those cannot happen again. The team will be in a position to win and compete for the NFC North title if Eberflus does his job.
We will see what happens next with the Chicago Bears. Many said (me included) that last offseason was one of the most important in franchise history. However, with the assets the team has, this offseason could be even bigger. If that happens, Eberflus has to show that he is the one to lead the team.