By Kevin Fishbain, Adam Jahns and Larry Holder
The Chicago Bears’ offense seemed to be trending upward entering the team’s bye in Week 7. The bottom has fallen out ever since, spurring a possible change at play caller heading into Week 11.
In an interview with ESPN 1000 in Chicago, Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that the team was “in the middle of that process of that evaluation” concerning a possible switch away from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
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After scoring 36 and 35 points in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively, the Bears have only produced a total of 27 points in the last three games, including a three-point output in Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots in Week 10.
Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 6. Chicago hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8.
“They’re not going to reinvent the wheel in a sense,” Williams said when asked about a potential change at play caller after Sunday’s loss. “We’re midseason. It’s not a decision for me. I have to do whatever Coach says. I have to deal with whatever decision he makes and I have to be fine with it. Will I be able to adapt? Yes, I will. We will be able to adapt to whatever decision he makes and then from there, we have to go out there and execute and win games.”
Eberflus wasn’t seemingly ready to make a switch at offensive play caller following the team’s Week 9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Then, questions surrounding the job came up again after Sunday’s loss to New England.
“Like I said, we’ll look at everything from the top to the bottom, making sure that we’re finding the answers to move the ball down the field, play better as a football team on offense, defense and special teams,” Eberflus said when asked about a coordinator change.
When asked if changing the play caller was on the table, Eberflus said, “I said we’ll look at everything. Everything is going to be looked at.”
How Bears’ offense has fallen flat
When Eberflus decided to fire Luke Getsy, he had no decision bigger than choosing the play caller for Williams. A defensive head coach’s most important move is the offensive coordinator, and Eberflus was 0-for-1. The Bears spent two weeks interviewing candidates before selecting Waldron because of his experience with Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Sean McVay. They praised what he did with Geno Smith as Seattle’s play caller.
Nine games into the season, the Bears rank 31st in yards per play, 30th in yards per game, 30th in yards per pass, 28th in yards per carry, 32nd in sacks allowed per pass and 31st on third down. With a better group of talent on offense, the only statistical category in which they’ve improved is interception rate — Williams hasn’t thrown a pick since Week 6.
The Bears lead the league with 19 false start penalties, an example of the miscommunication happening before the snap. We’ve seen Williams not being on the same page with his receivers often. Waldron’s usage — or lack thereof — of tight end Cole Kmet has been difficult to understand. Over the past three games — minus the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders — nothing has worked on offense.
Since George McCaskey took over as team chairman in 2011, the Bears have had nine offensive coordinators, which will be 10 if Waldron is relieved. The last time an offensive coordinator made it three seasons in that position for the Bears was Ron Turner (2005-2009). — Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer
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(Photo: Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
