Bears to keep coach Matt Eberflus, fire OC Luke Getsy, sources say
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Stephen A. Smith says the Bears should stay committed to developing Justin Fields with Matt Eberflus as coach. (2:19)
The Chicago Bears have made the first two decisions in what will be a pivotal offseason, bringing back head coach Matt Eberflus for the 2024 season while firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, sources told ESPN.
The Bears also fired quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko and wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert on Wednesday after extensive meetings the previous two days, according to sources.
The moves come three days after the completion of Eberflus and Getsy’s second season with the Bears. The Bears went 7-10 this season but showed signs of promise down the stretch, winning four of their last six games.
Eberflus is 10-24 in two seasons with Chicago after spending the previous 13 years as a defensive assistant coach in the NFL, capped by a four-year stretch as the Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021.
Chicago’s offense showed improvement this season, but it was ultimately not enough for Chicago to move forward with Getsy.
The Bears face a monumental decision at quarterback this offseason and whether they will stick with Justin Fields entering his fourth season or use the No. 1 draft pick on a rookie quarterback.
As deliberations on the plan at quarterback begin inside Halas Hall, so do the conversations about the type of offensive identity the Bears want to have in 2024.
Player frustrations over the offense showed several times during the 2023 season, beginning in Week 3 when Fields pointed to “coaching” as the reason behind his “robotic” play. Wide receiver DJ Moore also indicated a lack of consistent explosive plays caused Chicago to fall short.
Chicago’s offense ranked 17th in offensive points per game (20.4), which is its highest mark since ranking 11th in 2018, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The passing offense improved from 32nd to 27th (182.1 yards per game) while the Bears owned the NFL’s No. 2 rushing offense (141.1 YPG).
The Bears’ season ended with a 17-9 loss at Green Bay, the second time since Week 12 that Chicago failed to score a touchdown. The offense came away with one touchdown combined in its final three road games and was held to 20 or fewer points in 10 games this season.
In 17 games, the offense ranked 21st in EPA/play (-0.052), 19th in success rate (41.6%) and 19th in yards per attempt (6.7) and scored 37 touchdowns, which is tied for 20th in the NFL.
Although Moore (1,364) and tight end Cole Kmet (719) both reached career highs in receiving yards, the inconsistencies in the passing game were prominent under Getsy. Fields was tied for 21st with 6.9 yards per attempt, 29th in passing success rate (38.4%), 18th in adjusted completion rate (74.3%) and totaled 20 touchdowns (16 passing, 4 rushing).