The Chicago Bears are 4-8. That isn’t exactly a significant improvement over their 3-14 record last season. Maybe they’ll improve the optics with a few more wins over the remaining five games. They best hope so because it sounds like jobs are on the line. Under normal conditions, the current Bears power structure wouldn’t be in any danger. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus could be relatively sure of a third season. However, things changed earlier this year when the Bears hired Kevin Warren as the new team president.
Initially, people thought the McCaskey family brought the former Big Ten commissioner in to handle their pursuit of a new stadium. Nothing more. However, it was indicated early on that his scope of power went beyond that. He would have a presence in every facet of the organization, including the football operations. The big question was whether he had the latitude to make changes if he felt they were necessary. Dianna Russini of The Athletic has been reporting on this subject for the past week. She provided an update on the Warren situation.
Everything is being evaluated.
A little less than a year ago, the Bears brought in former Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren as the organization’s new CEO/president. At the time, chairman George McCaskey called Warren “a man of integrity, respect and excellence.” Warren started working at Halas Hall in April and since then has been the leader of their stadium endeavors and that’s not all.
A league source told me Warren has been given the power to oversee Poles and the Bears front office. He’s earned it, too, with more than two decades of experience in the NFL. Warren has a strong hand in football operations and will have a significant role in the potential firings, hirings, and decisions at the quarterback position. He has spent the last eight months getting a feel for the organization…
…So what can we expect from Warren? He won’t be making any knee-jerk decisions or choosing a path for optics. He’s described as methodical. Unemotional. A planner. There’s a long-term approach being applied.
It doesn’t take a lot of emotion to see that the Bears could be in line for another major overhaul.
People will try to downplay how much that matters. It matters a ton. Warren had no say in the hiring of Poles or Eberflus. While George McCaskey and his committee may have felt those two were the best choices to lead the Bears forward, Warren may feel differently. He has way more experience working in NFL front offices. He also has far better connections. When he joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2005, the team went 9-7. One would think that was enough to secure the job for then-head coach Mike Tice. It wasn’t. They factored in how unruly the team was under his watch and decided to make a change.
There isn’t much working in the favor of Eberflus right now. The defense has played better but still gives up too many 4th quarter leads and has benefitted from an easy schedule. He hasn’t beaten any good teams for well over a year. His choice for offensive coordinator appears to have backfired. Kevin Warren has all the evidence necessary to make a change. The only question is whether Poles goes out the door with him. Answers will arrive in January. Signs point to something significant happening.
