Chicago Bears: Takeaways From Team Press Conference

After firing most of the offensive coaches, the Chicago Bears held a press conference. Here are some takeaways.

Well, the Chicago Bears offseason is underway. After a couple of days of silence, fans were anxiously awaiting what the team’s move with the coaching staff would be. On Wednesday, the NFL world found out. The Bears decided to let go of most of the offensive staff, including offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

What the team also decided to do was to retain head coach Matt Eberflus. Many anticipated this move while others were disappointed.

Later on in the day, the Bears brass met with the media in their end-of-season press conference. General manager Ryan Poles, team president Kevin Warren, and head coach Matt Eberflus all met with the media. Here are some takeaways from that press conference.

Why the mass firings?

It wasn’t just Getsy that was dismissed. Quarterbacks coach Andrew Jonocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, running backs coach Omar Young, and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts were also relieved of their duties.

It illustrates how poor the offense was in the eyes of management.

Eberflus explained the reason for all the firings.

The growth and the development of the offense, to me, needed to be better than where it was.  “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.

The Chicago Bears offense ranked 18th in points and 20th in yards. While the rushing attack was good (it ranked second in the league), the passing game was not so good. The Bears ranked 27th in passing yards and 23rd in passing touchdowns.

A big reason for that was Getsy’s ultra-conservative game plan. He did not open up the offense and preferred to call an inordinate number of screen passes. It got to the point where he became the butt of jokes all over social media. In a league that leans heavily on intricate passing plays, Getsy was out of step.

Eberflus stated that he conferred with Poles, Warren, and Chairman of the Board George McCaskey on his decision to let everyone except for offensive line coach Chris Morgan and tight ends coach Jim Dray.

Poles added that the team needed an offensive coordinator who could “adapt and adjust” to the talent. That is a sure sign that Getsy refused to tailor his offense to quarterback Justin Fields‘ abilities,. That was something many speculated about. Getsy tried to keep Fields in the pocket and wouldn’t utilize the quarterback’s athletic abilities more.

Why fire Getsy but keep Eberflus?

Many wanted the Chicago Bears to not only fire Getsy but also Eberflus. Why fire one and not the other?

Warren explained that he was in a similar situation when he was an executive with the then-St. Louis Rams. They had Dick Vermeil, who had two losing seasons. The Rams decided to let Vermeil continue to do his job and, in his third season, the team broke through. St. Louis went 13-3 and won the Super Bowl.

That is not to say that the same thing will happen in Chicago. However, Warren and the Bears want to see how much better Eberflus is when he has a real team. Yes, he has a horrible 10-24 record. However, he basically had a JV team in his first season. Even so, he had the team playing hard. They had eight one-score games despite the lack of talent.

In 2023, the team again had eight one-score games. Eberflus has the players working hard and they are competitive in most games. If he can keep the players motivated during hard times, let’s see how he does when he has more talent.

Warren doesn’t want to move on from a head coach too quickly and possibly ruin the path the team is on. He prefers to keep some stability.

Poles noted how Eberflus kept the team together through some rough times.

I saw a lot of progress. There’s a reason why we went from three to seven wins. … If it’s not for him, I really don’t think that’s the case. His ability to stand strong and keep the team together was incredible

Despite losing their first four games of the season, the Bears went 7-6 the rest of the way. The rush defense went from 31st in 2022 to #1 in 2023. The overall defense allowed just 18.6 points per game. That would put them in the top five if it was the entire season.

Progress is being made with Eberflus as the head coach. That is why he is still the head coach.

Is there a decision on Fields?

The Chicago Bears face a big decision on what to do with the number one pick of the 2024 draft. Are they all-in on Fields so they trade away the pick like they did in 2023, or do they use that pick to select a top prospect like Caleb Williams?

The team has not made that decision (or is not ready to announce that decision). Poles said the team is still in information-gathering mode. He feels that Fields made progress this season. However, he said he had to look at the entire situation and decide what is right for the team.

We are going to turn every stone to make sure we make a sound decision for our organization. I do think Justin got better. I do think he can lead this team. At the same time, there’s a unique situation and our staff has to look at everything.

What happens with Johnson?

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson had a career year in 2023. He is up for a new contract. There was concern about him at the trade deadline when he requested a trade. The Bears permitted him to look for a trade partner but nothing came of it.

Now that the season is over and we saw what type of season Johnson had, will he return to Chicago in 2024?

Poles sounded very optimistic about keeping Johnson in the fold. He said he felt very good about the situation and doesn’t think he is going anywhere.

Of course, if contract talks break down again, Poles has the franchise tag to use. That is a worst-case scenario, though. He will try to come up with a deal that is agreeable to both parties. If he can get it done with Montez Sweat then he can do it for Johnson.

It will be another interesting offseason for the Chicago Bears. This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for a lot more big moves as the offseason progresses.