People aren’t sure what fate awaits the Chicago Bears. They’ve played better lately, winning three of their last four games to reach 5-8. The defense is playing like one of the NFL’s best. Justin Fields has become more efficient than at any other time in his career. Suddenly, it felt like this team was trending in the right direction. That makes it difficult to determine what fates await Fields and head coach Matt Eberflus. A month ago, people were sure both men were gone. Now, it’s unclear. Much of this confusion centers on the presence of Kevin Warren.
If Ted Phillips were still team president, there is no way Eberflus would get fired. He worked with GM Ryan Poles to bring him in. However, Warren is in charge now. He had no say in that decision. Many wonder if he has designs on shaking up the organization, particularly on the football side. Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network has connections around the league built over a long career. He provided an update on the entire Warren situation. Based on what he’s hearing, it is indeed possible the Bears president wants to be more involved in football operations. However, that doesn’t mean he aims to overrule Poles. With one exception.
A source who worked with the veteran business executive during a previous NFL stop said Warren “definitely has interest in football ops and what goes on there.”
The source added Warren is not there to make decisions for GM Ryan Poles, but, for example, “if they are going to move one of those first-round picks (they own theirs and the Carolina Panthers for the 2024 NFL Draft), he’s going to be involved. He’ll want to know what’s going on and his voice will certainly be heard on the bigger decisions.”
We also asked another source with ties to the organization about what Warren’s involvement could be with football operations. The person added part of Warren’s interest would likely be more about having “his own guy” as a head coach.
Yes, the Bears have played better lately. Nobody can argue that. However, a nice win over the Lions should overshadow everything else that has happened in Eberflus’ tenure. There is the 14-game losing streak, the numerous 4th quarter collapses, the puzzling in-game decisions, and the conservative style. While he has done a good job rounding the Bears defense into form, he hasn’t shown any real capacity to help elevate Fields. Remember that most of Warren’s tenure in football has seen him encounter success almost exclusively with offensive head coaches.
It was Dick Vermeil in St. Louis. Then, it was Brad Childress in Minnesota. Lately, it was Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day in the Big Ten. All of those men have offensive backgrounds. There is also the fact that offensive head coaches won six of the last eight Super Bowls. All of this is likely being taken into account by Kevin Warren. Now, Eberflus can still make a strong enough argument. If he wins three of the remaining four games down the stretch, it will be hard to justify moving on from him.
Then again, Warren has never feared making controversial decisions. This will be a fascinating situation to watch unfold.
