Bears keep Shane Waldron as play-caller despite struggles

CHICAGO — Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will continue calling plays for the Bears despite Chicago’s offensive struggles in consecutive losses at Washington and Arizona.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus confirmed he would not remove Waldron as the team’s offensive play-caller on Monday, less than 24 hours after Chicago’s 29-9 loss to the Cardinals.

“We’re looking for answers, and that’s where we are collectively as a group, offensively and defensively,” Eberflus said. “We’ll go through that process here today, tomorrow and implement that plan on Wednesday.”

Waldron is in his first season as Chicago’s offensive coordinator after spending the previous three years calling plays for the Seahawks. The Bears also have an experienced play coordinator on staff in Thomas Brown, the team’s passing game coordinator, who was previously the offensive coordinator for the Panthers in 2023 and collegiately at Miami (Florida) from 2016-18.

Sunday’s loss marked the first game this season in which the Bears failed to score a touchdown. Chicago totaled 241 yards of offense and relied on kicker Cairo Santos to score its nine points. The Bears were 3 of 14 on third down and averaged 3.4 yards per play.

“The changes we’re going to make are we’re going to look inward and make sure we do a good job of utilizing our talents and our skills and really just the overall, basic execution of our plan,” Eberflus said. “And we need to make sure we do that in the future, and we’ll put that plan in place here in the next 48 hours.”

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams completed 22 of 41 passes for 217 yards, no touchdowns or turnovers with a passer rating of 68.9. Questions continue to arise about the development of the No. 1 overall pick, as the Bears’ offense has struggled to consistently generate production with its highest skill players.

Rookie receiver Rome Odunze finished with 104 yards on five catches against the Cardinals, while Keenan Allen had four catches for 36 yards on 10 targets and DJ Moore had four catches for 33 on nine targets. Tight end Cole Kmet, who is tied with a team-high three touchdown receptions, was not targeted in Arizona.

Eberflus said his confidence in Waldron, who was hired to replace Luke Getsy in January, is “high” after eight games.

“Our season has been…we’ve won some and lost some,” Eberflus said. “We’re sitting at 4-4. Right now that’s where we are and it’s important that we focus on this week. That’s all we can control and do a better job of putting our guys in position as coaches to be successful and that’s “Ultimately my job and the coordinator’s job second. So it’s important that we do a great job with the position coaches, partnering with the players and putting those guys in position to be successful.”