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Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said he is “absolutely not” worried about the culture of his football team after an assistant coach departed from his staff for the second time during the 2023 season.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the Bears fired running backs coach David Walker on Tuesday, October 31, over his “behavior in the workplace,” a decision that involved the team’s HR department. He is the second Bears assistant coach to exit Eberflus’ staff this season; defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned on September 20.
“With the support from [general manager] Ryan [Poles], [team president] Kevin [Warren] and ownership, we have made the decision this morning that our running backs coach, Coach Walker, has been relieved of his duty,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “As the head coach, we are building a program and have standards to uphold as a staff and an organization, both on and off the field, and those standards were not met.”
Eberflus declined to confirm Cronin’s report that the Bears dismissed Walker due to a behavioral issue, saying he would not provide any further details other than to say that Walker is no longer on his staff. Asked specifically whether he was concerned about the culture of his coaching staff, though, Eberflus sounded off with an abundantly clear sentiment.
“Absolutely not,” Eberflus said, according to Cronin. “The culture in our building is outstanding. The guys work hard every single day, the relationship piece is there. We care about each other and we’re working diligently to get this thing turned. We’re 2-2 in the last four games, one game was really close — had a chance at that one — and we feel we’re really turning a corner there. … But to answer your question, our culture is awesome.”
Eberflus: No Link Between Walker & Williams Issues
The Bears have now lost two assistant coaches from Eberflus’ staff over the past six weeks. In both instances, the problems arose from off-the-field conduct.
Williams stepped down as their defensive coordinator in September after a weeklong absence that the Bears never fully explained. Williams said in a statement that he resigned to focus on his health and his family, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported he departed from his post “because of inappropriate activity.”
Despite the two situations appearing similar on the surface, though, Eberflus confirmed Wednesday that Walker’s firing and Williams’ resignation were not related.
“We take pride in vetting the guys — a player, a coach, staff,” Eberflus said when asked about his accountability in the two situations. “We take pride in that, but, again, when the standards aren’t met, we take action, and that’s where it is.”
Omar Young Will Take Over as Bears’ New RB Coach
Unlike with Wiliams’ resignation, when questions followed about who would take over as defensive coordinator, the Bears wasted no time appointing Walker’s successor.
Eberflus confirmed Omar Young will take over the Bears’ running backs coach for the rest of the season. He began as an offensive quality control coach for the Bears in 2022 and earned a promotion to assistant wide receivers and quarterbacks coach in 2023. Eberflus also said he addressed the staffing coaches with the players early Wednesday and said he felt they would handle the transition well.
“I got to the running back guys first and talked to the leadership council,” Eberflus said. “Our guys are resilient, they really are. They are tough-minded, they’ve been through adversity and the culture is great here. Our guys work their tails off, and you guys see the locker room, you know what it’s like. It is what it is and guys move forward.”
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