Bears don’t change QB: Caleb Williams is ‘our starter,’ coach says

Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that he is still in the process of deciding on changes to help the team’s offense, but he made it clear that rookie Caleb Williams will remain the starting quarterback.

“Caleb is our starter,” Eberflus said.

Aside from the quarterback position, however, “everything is on the table,” Eberflus said.

However, he was not ready to reveal those changes on Monday.

The Bears coach had acknowledged Sunday after the team’s 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots (their third straight loss) that who calls the offensive plays was one of the changes he was considering.

Six days after declaring that Shane Waldron would continue in his role as offensive coordinator after Chicago lost 29-9 at Arizona, Eberflus did not rule out making a change in offensive play-calling after the Patriots magnified the Bears’ struggles.

Chicago has failed to reach the end zone in consecutive games and has gone on 23 consecutive offensive drives without a touchdown, marking the longest active streak in the NFL. The Bears’ last touchdown was Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown in Chicago’s 18-15 loss to Washington on a last-second Hail Mary in Week 8.

Williams was sacked nine times by the Patriots, bringing his total over the last three games to 18. During Chicago’s recent losing streak, Williams has recorded the three highest pressure percentage games of his career.

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, completed 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 120 yards, his lowest passing production since throwing for 93 yards in his NFL debut against the Titans. Collectively, Chicago’s offense was 1 of 14 on third down (7%), its worst mark since 2012.

Waldron was hired in January 2024 after the Bears fired former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy after two seasons. Getsy, who was hired by the Raiders shortly after, was fired last week amid Las Vegas’ 2-7 start.

Waldron played the same role for the Seattle Seahawks from 2021 to 2023, which coincided with the resurgence of quarterback Geno Smith’s career in 2022, when he was named the league’s Comeback Player of the Year.