The Bears fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko on Wednesday, but head coach Matt Eberflus is sticking around. According to multiple reports, Eberflus will return to coach the team in 2024.
The move is not unexpected as Eberflus oversaw a turnaround for the team both in the standings and on the defensive side of the ball. The Bears finished the 2022 season with a league-worst 3-14 record, but improved to 7-10 in 2023. Further, he helped pull the Bears run defense out of the league basement and they finished as the No. 1 run defense unit in the NFL in 2023.
Eberflus also earned credit for keeping the team from folding after a disastrous first month of the season. The offense was ineffective, the defense couldn't get off the field on third down and surrendered many explosives, and defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned. All of that resulted in an 0-4 start. Dating back to 2023, the Bears had a 14-game losing streak. Many teams would have quit on the year or quit on their coach. The Bears did neither. Many players throughout the year continued to trust in Eberflus' process and plan, and they finally started to win games.
Of course, a big reason why the defense improved was because Ryan Poles acquired defensive Montez Sweat at the trade deadline. Sweat was the force multiplier the team has been searching for on the defensive line since Poles traded away Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. He not only added six sacks over the second half of the year, he helped others on the line get home because he demanded so much attention from opponents. The uptick in pressure from the defensive line also allowed Eberflus to blitz less and keep more defenders in coverage. In turn, the defense started intercepting the ball at a much, much higher rate. The Bears had six interceptions through their first eight games. From Week 9 on-- when Sweat arrived and Eberflus had the opportunity to play more coverage-- the Bears had 16 interceptions. Their 22 total interceptions ended up tied with the 49ers for most in the NFL in 2023.
The Bears didn't decide to run back their entire coaching staff, however. A source confirmed to NBC Sports Chicago that the team fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert and running backs coach Omar Young.
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