The Chicago Bears manager, Matt Eberflus, must answer this question if the Chicago Bears are going to succeed.

The Chicago Bears officially answered one of the major storylines in the off-season over the weekend. Quarterback Justin Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Saturday for a 2025 6th-round pick. The deal finally ended weeks of irresponsible conjecture concerning his future with the Chicago Bears.

In the end, it was not enough to convince General Manager Ryan Poles to bring Fields back as the starter because the deficiencies in his games were too great to convince him.

Some local and national media jumped in and sparked more conflicts between Fields fans and Williams fans that turned very ugly throughout the off-season.

Still, many will recall how delighted we were the night Fields was taken in the draft. Fields generated so much enthusiasm and delivered plenty of highlight reels to fans who felt he would finally erase the curse of the Bears’ bad luck at quarterbacks that has plagued this team and stop being a butt of a joke around the league.

In debating why Fields did not work out with the Bears, he was victimized by a man who did not draft him in the first place, his predecessors Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy, who desperately tried to save their jobs by drafting him, and an organization that should have fired both Pace and Nagy after the 2020 season in the first place.

So while Poles has created a squad that is starting to see the fruit of its effort, traded off Fields, and is about to choose his quarterback in Caleb Williams, one large question mark still exists:

The prevailing perception is that the Bears were able to get Shane Waldron despite Eberflus’ lame duck status with the concept that not only Caleb Williams is their new quarterback, but Waldron will be the new head coach whenever Eberflus is fired. That discussion will not end unless Eberflus learns from last year’s blunders.

Many will remember Eberflus blowing three double-digit leads against Denver, Detroit, and Cleveland last season with conservative defensive play calling with the lead and strange substitutions that received severe criticism. Instead of finishing 7-10, it should have been 10-7. Eberflus would have secured his status, and Fields would likely start in 2024.

And how can anyone forget the odd circumstances regarding former defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who unexpectedly left the organization, and running backs coach David Walker, who was fired over workplace behavior? And when you add the employment of Getsy, it makes Eberflus seem awful even further. There is a reason why Poles led the search for a new OC, which resulted in the hiring of new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron this time.

My biggest irritation with Eberflus from last year was his proclivity for criticizing execution after a defeat during the postgame press conference. Isn’t it the role of him and his staff to nail down such things for players during OTAs and obligatory minicamps?

There were questions regarding how Eberflus organized training camp and handled snap counts during pre-season games that contributed to an 0-4 start. It sounds like he’s blaming his players while lacking accountability from him and his coaching staff. If the club gets off to another 0-4 start in 2024 and he’s repeating the same lines postgame, then the players will turn on him swiftly.

He also sounded uneasy and uncomfortable during weekly press conferences and guest appearances on ESPN 1000 during the season by being cryptic and not delivering any clarity to the topics being asked, which added more frustration.

Still, the players played hard for Eberflus amid instability on and off the field and backed him openly. With Fields officially traded now, the Bears will miss his leadership skills. And while the players know it is business, some are deeply affected by his transfer. And you can guarantee there are many more who are privately frustrated by the trade. While Poles is the one who organized the deal, you can bet Eberflus contributed his two cents on how Fields played last season, which influenced the decision.

Eberflus’s job now is to create a good relationship with Caleb Williams immediately and allow him to succeed. He must rally the locker room once the Fields trade spills over into the regular season. Let Shane Waldron and his offensive staff design and call plays according to Williams’ skill set.

Eberflus seems to be looking comfortable by growing a beard this off-season and looking like he is auditioning to be the next participant in “The Golden Bachelor” more than a football coach. Perhaps Poles bringing him back for the 2024 season made him relax up a bit, or he got assurances that he would get at least two more years with Caleb Williams as his quarterback.

Even with a rookie quarterback, the expectations are higher today with the acquisitions of D’Andre Swift, Gerald Everett, and Keenan Allen. And the 9th overall pick could be another wider receiver, an edge rusher to go with Montez Sweat, or a trade down to gain more picks and still fill out either of those positions later in the first round. The anticipation for 2024 needs to be higher. Eberflus has to understand and must rise to the challenge.

The Bears fans hope he learned from the several mistakes he made last year and will become a better head coach in the long term. If Eberflus can help Williams make a successful transition into the NFL and win ballgames, he can prove his naysayers wrong and go a long way toward winning respect and support.
It would also be the best-case situation for Eberflus and the Bears in 2024.

While he has the backing of Ryan Poles, what Eberflus learned from last year and what he will do differently for the upcoming season will determine if he and the Bears have a good marriage or if they are destined for divorce.