Matt Eberflus is gone. Anybody with common sense can see that. He has one of the worst winning percentages in franchise history, is 5-18 in one-score games, and is on course for his third straight losing season. Players seem to have begun tuning him out, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Sunday against Minnesota was further evidence of this, as they once again failed to get a stop when they needed it. Eberflus getting fired is no longer a debate. The bigger question is whether Ryan Poles will join him.
The Chicago Bears GM signed off on the hire despite an opportunity to expand the coaching search if needed. Then, this past off-season, he doubled down on keeping Eberflus despite knowing he was going to draft a quarterback #1 overall. This set up the possibility of another head coach getting fired one year after drafting a QB. Now here we are again. Many believe Poles hasn’t done enough to justify keeping his job despite selecting Caleb Williams and making some other solid moves.
Even so, insider Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog made it clear what the likely outcome would be.
George McCaskey was the one who hired him personally. Everybody remembers the airport video. It is obvious the team owner has great respect for the Bears GM. Don’t forget Ryan Pace got a second chance to hire a head coach after three ugly years with John Fox in charge. Ryan Poles has done enough to warrant the same opportunity. He too has built a strong defense and actually has a leg up on Pace because he found actual offensive weapons and a quarterback. There is no denying he’s had missteps. Chase Claypool and Nate Davis stand among the biggest. However, one can fairly argue this team is a head coach away from competing. Poles should get the chance to finish what he started.
