Bears to Search for Offensive Coaching Staff
The Bears have decided to let coach Matt Eberflus stay on board and make offensive changes in the coaching staff.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko have been fired. Also gone, according to the team, are receivers coach/passing game coordinator Tyle Tolbert, running backs coach Omar Young and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts.
The Bears plan to explain their changes at a Wednesday, 3 p..m. press conference.
What this means for Justin Fields isn't clear, but it's very easy to conclude they will be trading him and drafting Caleb Williams or another quarterback. Then again, they could conclude he hasn't been given a chance to show what he can do in the passing game by working under those fired coaches.
The Bears' draft status requires the need to keep Fields' fate quiet. Tipping what they want to do can affect what they can get in return by trading Fields or the deal they can come up with if they decide to keep him.
The Bears finished 18th in scoring and 20th in total offense. It was in the passing game where Getsy's offenses failed because they ranked first in rushing each of the last two seasons. They were 28th in passing this year after finishing last (32nd) in 2022.
This year's team had 19 touchdown passes, the same number as in 2022.
In terms of developing Fields, his passer rating and touchdown percentage dropped even though they acquired wide receiver DJ Moore, who had the fourth-best yardage season (1,364) of all pass catchers in Bears history.
Fields' effectiveness as a rusher also dropped. He ran for only 5.3 yards a carry, a career low.
Eberflus' defense allowed only three of the final 13 opponents to score more than 20 points. Once they acquired Montez Sweat, their overall production improved drastically as they had 20 sacks for the final nine games with Sweat and only 10 for the first eight games. They also had 18 takeaways in the final nine games and only nine in the first eight games.
The defense improved from 31st in the league to No. 1 and the Bears more than doubled their three-win total of 2022 by winning seven games. They also suffered three defeats in games when they had double digit leads in the fourth quarter.
Immediately, offensive coordinator speculation will focus on Eberflus' friend and former boss in Indianapolis, Frank Reich. The Carolina Panthers fired Reich as head coach during the 2023 season.
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