‘I take full responsibility’: Bears coach Matt Eberflus has struggled with staff turnover
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — As Matt Eberflus closed the book on a 7-10 finish at the Chicago Bears’ season-ending news conference on Jan. 10, hours removed from firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and four offensive assistants, the coach described the level of interest he was receiving regarding the vacancies.
“Our phones have been blowing up with people trying to contact us in different ways,” Eberflus said that afternoon.
Over the next two weeks, Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles interviewed nine candidates for OC. The role had added significance because the Bears held the No. 1 draft pick and were expected to draft USC Caleb Williams. The Bears do not have a reputation for developing young quarterbacks, and Poles and Eberflus were intent on course correction.
Shane Waldron was the only candidate to get two interviews with the Bears, who hired the former Seattle Seahawks’ OC on Jan. 23. Waldron’s work with QB Geno Smith, who won the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year award, impressed the Bears.
Five other candidates also landed OC gigs, including the Washington Commanders’ Kliff Kingsbury, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Liam Coen, Atlanta Falcons’ Zac Robinson, New Orleans Saints’ Klint Kubiak and Los Angeles Chargers’ Greg Roman.
But all the things Eberflus said he wanted in an OC — a great teacher, communicator and innovator — are things the Bears will continue to look for after firing Waldron on Wednesday and making Thomas Brown the interim offensive coordinator. It was the eighth coach who was let go, for a variety of reasons, under Eberflus, whose own future is now firmly in the spotlight. Eberflus has fired two offensive coordinators this calendar year, including Getsy, who subsequently was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders last week, but there’s no guarantee Eberflus will be around to pick the next one.
“Third playcaller, and I take full accountability for that,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “I take full responsibility for that, and it’s got to get better.
“The details of creativity have to improve, and it’s got to improve this week.”
Eberflus was not alone in his decision to hire Waldron or other staff members who have since been dismissed. Poles has been part of the process every step of the way. But Eberflus’ hiring failures have been paired with a 14-29 record (.326), and that’s not the type of combination that defines job security.
And things aren’t about to get easier. The Bears have the toughest remaining schedule in the league, according to ESPN Research, starting with Sunday’s home game (1 p.m. ET, Fox) against the Green Bay Packers, who are 5-point favorites. Eberflus is 2-10 vs. the NFC North.
Here’s a look at the coaches who have been fired under Eberflus.
Shane Waldron, offensive coordinator
Waldron inherited an offense that made major upgrades to its personnel in the offseason. The Bears drafted Williams, traded for wide receiver Keenan Allen and drafted WR Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick. And they signed running back D’Andre Swift to a lucrative free agent deal.
But despite the influx of talent to a group that already had wide receiver DJ Moore (who had a career year in 2023) and tight end Cole Kmet, Waldron failed to establish any consistency. The Bears started 1-2, won their next three, then lost their next three. During the recent skid, the Bears are the only team in the NFL that does not have a passing touchdown. They rank in the bottom 10 in points per game (19.4), yards per game (277.7), Total QBR (38.3) and EPA/play (-0.06).
And Williams’ regression was evident by the fact he ranks near the bottom in nearly all major passing stats for QBs who have made at least two starts, including being 32nd in completion percentage (50.5).
Waldron is the first coordinator the Bears have fired in-season, but there were signs it was coming as players went public with frustration about certain coaching decisions.
Luke Getsy, offensive coordinator
Eberflus hired Getsy to be part of his first staff in Chicago, which coincided with a massive roster teardown and changing of former Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ footwork and throwing mechanics. It didn’t help as Fields finished 23rd in QBR (46.9) and the Bears were 27th in passing yards per game (182.1). The Bears did boast the No. 1 and No. 2 rushing offenses under Getsy in 2022 and 2023, respectively, but the struggles in the passing game led Eberflus to decide he needed a new quarterback and new offensive coordinator entering his third season in Chicago.
The end of Getsy’s tenure was foreshadowed two days after the Bears beat the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Eve, when Fields threw for 170 yards in the win.
“If [the passing game is 27th], it’s not where it needs to be, right?” Eberflus said. “How you score in the NFL is to get explosive passes and explosive runs. That’s what you need to do.”
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Alan Williams, defensive coordinator
Williams spent four seasons with Eberflus in Indianapolis, where Eberflus was the defensive coordinator, before Williams was hired as Chicago’s defensive coordinator in 2022. Eberflus gave up defensive playcalling duties when hired by the Bears, and he brought on Williams to call defensive plays so he could maintain a “CEO” role.
Williams called one game — a 38-20 loss to Green Bay in the 2023 season opener — before he abruptly resigned, citing a need to take “a step back to take care of my health and family.” Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Williams’ resignation was in part because of inappropriate activity.
David Walker, running backs coach
Six weeks after Williams’ resignation, Walker, a veteran running backs coach, was fired due to workplace misconduct. Walker had been reprimanded by the Bears’ human resources department for workplace conduct, a source told ESPN, and a second such instance led to his firing.
“As the head coach, we are building a program and have standards to uphold to as a staff and organization both on and off the field, and those standards were not met,” Eberflus said Nov. 1, 2023.
Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach
Janocko spent two years with the Bears coaching quarterbacks after spending seven seasons in various positions with the Minnesota Vikings, but, as with the following three coaches, he was let go with Getsy. Janocko was hired by New Orleans as the Saints’ quarterbacks coach in 2024.
Tyke Tolbert, wide receivers coach
Tolbert was one of the most experienced coaches on Eberflus’ staff (2022-23) with 21 years of NFL experience as a position coach. He coached Moore during his career-best season in 2023 and was hired by the Tennessee Titans as their wide receivers coach during the offseason.
Omar Young, running backs coach
Young, who was hired as the Bears’ assistant quarterbacks and wide receivers coach in 2022, took over coaching the running backs after Walker was fired. He was hired by New England as an offensive assistant in 2024.
Tim Zetts, assistant tight ends coach
Eberflus gave Zetts his first opportunity as an NFL position coach in 2022 after he entered the NFL with the Packers as an offensive quality control coach the year before. The Bears did not replace his position when finalizing the 2024 coaching staff. He was hired as an offensive assistant by Las Vegas in 2024.