Matt Eberflus is out. A head coach was fired midseason for the first time in Chicago Bears history. Nobody is surprised by that. Eberflus had been teetering on the edge since last year. He had the longest losing streak in franchise history (14 games). He also watched his team blow three double-digit 4th quarter leads. Those late-game issues hit another level this season as Eberflus kept finding different ways to cost his team wins. It was the soft coverage call that enabled Washington’s Hail Mary. It was poor self-scouting on the field goal block team against Green Bay, the defensive collapse against Minnesota, and finally, the timeout blunder in Detroit.
The players had seen enough. Knowing a locker room fracture was imminent, the Bears finally did the only sensible thing. Now, the obvious question lingers. Who do they bring in to replace Eberflus? There is still over a month before the organization can start seeking that answer. However, Courtney Cronin of ESPN managed to pry some interesting information from people inside Halas Hall. While these things are subject to change, it appears three names are on their shortlist of candidates.
Two team sources told ESPN that (Thomas) Brown will be considered among the candidates in January as the Bears begin their coaching search. Other names the Bears hope to interview include Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, the latter of whom interviewed for the Bears’ offensive coordinator opening before the team hired Waldron.
That is hardly a surprise. He’s the #1 pick in the draft and already looking like the best quarterback this franchise has drafted in decades. Finding a head coach who can turn him into the superstar he’s capable of becoming is a logical priority. That explains why every name mentioned has an offensive background. Brown is an obvious one. He’s already worked with Williams for three games, during which the rookie has thrown five touchdowns, no interceptions, and engineered three 4th quarter comebacks.
Ben Johnson is the hottest name on the circuit this year. Since taking over in Detroit in 2022, he’s put together three elite offenses. The Lions are Super Bowl contenders primarily because of his efforts. No one embodies the “hot, young offensive mind” more than Johnson. Kliff Kingsbury? He’s already been an NFL head coach before, finding some success in Arizona. He also has personal ties to Williams from their year at USC together. He’s done brilliant work this year with Jayden Daniels in Washington. The interest isn’t difficult to understand.
If any of those three are chosen, the Bears will have made a sensible choice. Whether it’s the right one won’t be known for at least a year or two.
