Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
For a large chunk of the 2023 regular season, there were questions about whether or not the Chicago Bears would fire head coach Matt Eberflus.
After finishing with a league-worst 3-14 mark in Eberflus’s first year with the team in 2022, the Bears elevated their record to 7-10 in 2023. Chicago’s record would have been better last year, but the team lost three games after leading by 10+ points in the fourth quarter, which tied an NFL record for the most losses in that fashion, per ESPN.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune is one of the most trusted insiders covering the team. Biggs had reported for months that Chicago was moving on from former quarterback Justin Fields before the Bears traded him.
Biggs also reported back in January that Caleb Williams was a near-lock to be Chicago’s No. 1 pick in the draft, which is something that multiple insiders around the league have confirmed in the months since.
In his April 3 Q&A column, Biggs was asked whether Eberflus will be on the hot seat entering the 2024 season, and he listed some strong reasons why the Bears head coach will likely not have to worry about his job security anytime soon.
Brad Biggs on Matt Eberflus’s Job Security: ‘Would Be an Error’ to Say Bears’ Coach Is on Hot Seat
Biggs believes Bears’ general manager Ryan Poles’ faith in Eberflus is strong, and that it would take a complete disaster of a season in 2024 for Chicago to part ways with its current coach.
“I didn’t read Ryan Poles’ decision to retain Eberflus in January as a situation in which he’s entering a win-now season,” Biggs noted, adding:
“Is it fair to expect improvement? Sure. The roster is in a spot where it should be competitive, and the Bears have some legitimate talent on offense. I simply don’t sense Eberflus is on a hot seat. If the offense is a total mess, obviously there will be reason to revisit the coaching situation. But it would be an error, from my perspective, to say Eberflus enters 2024 on the hot seat.”
Much will surely come down to how well the Eberflus and new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron develop Williams. If the Bears have a similar record in 2024 and don’t make the playoffs but Williams looks good and his development is a success, Eberflus will likely stick around. If the opposite occurs, though, change could be coming to Halas Hall once again.
Officially.
Caleb Williams will only be visiting with the Chicago Bears. He will not accept invites to visit with other teams.
Another Bears Insider Weighs in
In an April 4 appearance on ESPN 1,000’s Waddle & Silvy, another Bears insider, Josh Schrock of NBC Sports, was also asked about the job security of Eberflus.
When co-host and former Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle asked Schrock if he felt Coach Flus was completely off the hot seat, Schrock’s response was a bit different.
“We’re expecting a 7-10 football team that is getting better, and is going to have a really talented rookie quarterback come in and be capable of winning nine or ten games,” Schrock said. “They have a last place schedule. The expectations are going to be really high. While there’s pressure on Caleb Williams, the pressure is going to fall mainly on Matt Eberflus.”
Schrock also noted that if Williams looks good on the field, Coach Flus will likely stick around. Obviously, if the Bear’s have a complete disaster of a season and Williams looks as though he’s gotten worse, Eberflus could be in trouble. But barring disaster, it looks as though the Bears coach isn’t going anywhere.