Bears doomsday Matt Eberflus replacement has Caleb Williams fingerprints all over it

The Chicago Bears have drafted three quarterbacks in the top half of the first round since 2017. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, saw head coach John Fox get fired after his rookie season. The Bears replaced Trubisky with quarterback Justin Fields, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but history repeated itself. The Bears once again fired their head coach after their quarterback’s rookie season.

Following the failed experiment with Fields, the Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. This time, the coaching stability didn’t even last for the entire season. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus became the first head coach in franchise history to be fired midseason. That historic move came swiftly after the team’s disastrous loss against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

As the team starts to look ahead, any plan for the future has to begin with finding a new head coach. The Bears are desperate to find a coaching staff that can properly develop Williams, whose glaring flaws have cost the team in close games this season.

Bears are interested in Kliff Kingsbury as their next head coach

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has emerged as a leading candidate for the role, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Although Kingsbury won’t be the most popular candidate in the upcoming coaching cycle, he’s likely the one to receive the most interest from Chicago due to his familiarity with Williams.

Kingsbury served as a senior offensive analyst for the USC Trojans in 2023. Although Williams threw for 12 less touchdowns under Kingsbury’s guidance, Williams improved his completion rate to 68.6 percent. The campaign was enough for Williams to be selected with the top pick, and it earned Kingsbury a job under Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.

The Bears interviewed Kingsbury before the 2023 season, but they ultimately wound up hiring Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator. That proved to be a mistake — Waldron lasted just nine games before being jettisoned by Chicago. 

Meanwhile, Kingsbury has helped guide Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to a spectacular rookie season. Washington entered Week 14 with a 7-5 record, and they appear to be on track to clinch a NFC Wild Card spot. Daniels has completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 2,613 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Kingsbury previous served as head coach for the Arizona Cardinals, where he helped develop quarterback Kyler Murray, another former No. 1 overall pick. The Cardinals didn’t find much success under Kingsbury, however. They posted just one winning season in four years, and lost their lone playoff game in that span. Kingsbury was fired after a 4-13 season in 2022, finishing his head coaching stint with a 28-37-1 record.