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Courtney Cronin, ESPN writer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — As Matt Eberflus closed the book on a 7-10 finish at the Chicago Bears’ season-ending press conference on Jan. 10, hours after firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and four offensive assistants, the coach described the level of interest I was receiving regarding the vacancies.
“Our phones have been blowing up with people trying to contact us in different ways,” Eberflus said that afternoon.
Over the next two weeks, Eberflus and CEO Ryan Poles interviewed nine OC candidates. The role had added importance because the Bears had the No. 1 pick in the draft and were expected to draft USC Caleb Williams. The Bears don’t have a reputation for developing young quarterbacks, and Poles and Eberflus were determined to correct course.
Shane Waldron was the only candidate to land two interviews with the Bears, who hired the former Seattle Seahawks OC on Jan. 23. Waldron’s work with QB Geno Smith, who won the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year award, impressed the Bears.
Five other candidates also landed OC jobs, including Kliff Kingsbury of the Washington Commanders, Liam Coen of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Zac Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons, Klint Kubiak of the New Orleans Saints and Greg Roman of the Los Angeles Chargers.
But all the things Eberflus said he wanted in an OC — a great teacher, communicator and innovator — are things the Bears will continue to look for after firing Waldron on Wednesday and making Thomas Brown the interim offensive coordinator. He was the eighth coach to be fired for various reasons under Eberflus, whose future is now in the spotlight. Eberflus has fired two offensive coordinators this calendar year, including Getsy, who was subsequently fired by the Las Vegas Raiders last week, but there is no guarantee Eberflus will be available to pick the next one.
“Third player calling the play, and I take full responsibility for that,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “I take full responsibility for that and it has to improve.
“The details of the creativity have to improve, and it has to improve this week.”
Eberflus was not the only one who decided to hire Waldron or other staff members who have since been fired. The Poles have been part of the process every step of the way. But Eberflus’ hiring failures have been accompanied by a 14-29 (.326) record, and that’s not the kind of combination that defines job security.
And things aren’t going to get any easier. The Bears have the toughest remaining schedule in the league, according to ESPN Research, starting with Sunday’s home game (1 p.m. ET, Fox) against the Green Bay Packers, who are 5-point favorites. Eberflus is 2-10 against the NFC North.
Here’s a look at the coaches who have been fired under Eberflus.
Shane Waldron, offensive coordinator
Waldron inherited an offense that made significant improvements to its personnel during the offseason. The Bears selected Williams, traded for receiver Keenan Allen and selected WR Rome Odunze with the ninth pick. And they signed running back D’Andre Swift to a lucrative free agent deal.
But despite the influx of talent to a group that already featured wide receiver DJ Moore (who had a career year in 2023) and tight end Cole Kmet, Waldron failed to establish any consistency. The Bears started 1-2, won the next three, then lost the next three. During the recent streak, the Bears are the only NFL team without touchdown passes. They rank in the bottom 10 in points per game (19.4), yards per game (277.7), total QBR (38.3), and EPA/game (-0.06).
And Williams’ regression was evident by the fact that he ranks near the bottom in almost every major passing statistic for QBs who have made at least two starts, including 32nd in completion percentage (50.5).
Waldron is the first coordinator the Bears have fired all season, but there were signs this was going to happen when players went public with their frustration over certain coaching decisions.
Luke Getsy, offensive coordinator
Eberflus hired Getsy to be part of his first staff in Chicago, which coincided with a massive roster dismantling and the changing of former Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ footwork and throwing mechanics. It didn’t help as Fields finished 23rd in QBR (46.9) and the Bears were 27th in passing yards per game (182.1). The Bears boasted the No. 1 and No. 2 rushing offenses under Getsy in 2022 and 2023, respectively, but struggles in the passing game led Eberflus to decide he needed a new quarterback and offensive coordinator entering his third season in Chicago.
The end of Getsy’s tenure was foreshadowed two days after the Bears beat the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Eve, when Fields threw for 170 yards in the victory.
“Yeah [the passing game is 27th]He’s not where he needs to be, right?” Eberflus said. “The way to score in the NFL is to get explosive passes and explosive runs. That’s what you have to do.”
2:11
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Alan Williams, defensive coordinator
Williams spent four seasons with Eberflus in Indianapolis, where Eberflus was the defensive coordinator, before Williams was hired as Chicago’s defensive coordinator in 2022. Eberflus relinquished defensive play-calling duties when he was hired by the Bears, and hired Williams to call defensive plays, so he could maintain a “CEO” role.
Williams canceled one game (a 38-20 loss to Green Bay in the 2023 season opener) before abruptly resigning, citing the need to take “a step back to take care of my health and the health of my family.” Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Williams’ resignation was due in part to inappropriate activity.
David Walker, running backs coach
Six weeks after Williams resigned, Walker, a longtime running backs coach, was fired due to workplace misconduct. Walker had been reprimanded by the Bears’ human resources department for workplace conduct, a source told ESPN, and a second such instance led to his firing.
“As a head coach, we are building a program and we have standards to maintain as a staff and organization both on and off the field, and those standards were not met,” Eberflus said on Nov. 1, 2023.
Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach
Janocko spent two years with the Bears coaching quarterbacks after spending seven seasons at various positions with the Minnesota Vikings, but, like the next three coaches, he was fired under Getsy. Janocko was hired by New Orleans as the Saints’ quarterbacks coach in 2024.
Tyke Tolbert, wide receivers coach
Tolbert was one of the most experienced coaches on Eberflus’ staff (2022-23) with 21 years of NFL experience as a position coach. He coached Moore through the best season of his career in 2023 and was hired by the Tennessee Titans as their wide receivers coach during the offseason.
Omar Young, running backs coach
Young, who was hired as the Bears’ assistant quarterbacks and wide receivers coach in 2022, took over as running backs coach after Walker’s firing. He was hired by New England as an offensive assistant in 2024.
Tim Zetts, assistant tight ends coach
Eberflus gave Zetts his first opportunity as an NFL position coach in 2022 after he entered the NFL with the Packers as an offensive quality control coach the year before. The Bears did not replace his position at the end of the 2024 coaching staff. Las Vegas hired him as an offensive assistant in 2024.
