What started as a promising season for the Chicago Bears has quickly spiraled into an utter mess. With a roster loaded with talent and the No. 1 pick, Caleb Williams, stepping in under center, the Bears had hopes of competing for a playoff spot.
At 4-5, the playoffs are not off the table. However, the current vibe surrounding the team is terrible. Just a few weeks ago, Chicago entered its Bye Week with a 4-2 record and the offense had seemingly found its footing. During a three-game winning streak, the Bears knocked off the Los Angeles Rams and proceeded to score 36 and 35 points against the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.
Following its Bye, Chicago has looked unprepared, and disinterested, and has put together two miserable performances in a row. The offense struggled mightily against Washington coming out of the Bye, but the Bears were still one play away from improving to 5-2. Instead, through a combination of poor coaching and boneheaded play by Tyrique Stevenson, the Bears surrendered a 52-yard Hail Mary and fell to 4-3.
In the two weeks since that debacle, Chicago’s offense has failed to score a touchdown. Two weeks ago, the Bears scored nine points in a 20-point loss to Arizona. Last weekend, Williams and Co. managed to score three points against a lousy New England defense. With calls to fire head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron coming from all over, it was clear that big changes had to be made.
On Tuesday, Chicago announced the firing of Waldron. Eberflus had this to say (per ESPN):
“After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is in the best interest of our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense. This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward.”
Waldron lasted nine games as Chicago’s offensive coordinator — and he is lucky he remained in charge of the offense for that long. Under Waldron, Chicago averaged 277.6 yards per game (3rd worst in the NFL) and scored 16 points or fewer in all five of its losses.
The Bears rank near the bottom of the league in points scored (24th), yards per carry (28th), yards per pass (30th), total yards (30th), third downs (31st), and yards per play (31st).
With Waldron out of the building, passing game coordinator Thomas Brown will take over OC responsibilities. Before joining the Bears, Brown was an assistant head coach with the Rams (2021-2022) and the offensive coordinator for the Panthers (2023). Eberflus added this:
“Thomas is a bright offensive mind who has experience calling plays with a collaborative mindset. I look forward to his leadership over our offensive coaching staff and his plan for our players.”Â
In addition to switching offensive coordinators, the Bears cut ties with veteran guard Nate Davis on Wednesday morning. Davis, 28, signed a three-year, $30 million deal in March of last year and proceeded to make just 13 starts in two seasons. Davis was benched after starting the first two games of this season and recently caused a stir when he reported back tightness hours before suiting up to play New England. While he had previously been benched, Davis was set to start against the Patriots due to numerous injuries along the offensive line.
