Bears still need to go a step further to save Caleb Williams after front page firing

In a last-ditch attempt to save his job, Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus has ridded his staff of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. It's an ironic turn of events, really. While Eberflus surely believes in Waldron and the offense he was building, the head coach himself is running out of time, and thus must take instruction from the front office and, to some extent, the fanbase itself. Trust me when I tell you the Bears offense was arguably the worst in the NFL the last few weeks.

Chicago's Hail Mary loss to the Washington Commanders was just the beginning. A flailing offensive performance at home against the New England Patriots was probably the beginning of the end for Eberflus, but definitely the last game Waldron deserved to be employed for.

The Bears fired Luke Getsy just last season. He signed on with the Raiders, where he was subsequently let go in the middle of this season. Waldron is the second offensive coordinator to be fired this year. If that's not an indictment of Eberflus, I'm not sure what is. Chicago hasn't scored a touchdown on their last 23 drives. Their remaining strength of schedule is the toughest in the league, with a combined winning percentage of over .700. It's not going to get better from here.

Chicago Bears have to save Caleb Williams while they still can

Perhaps most concerning about the Bears struggles isn't the offense itself – Chicago was one of the worst teams in the NFL last season as well – but how poor No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has played after an impressive start to the campaign. By now, WIlliams ought to be taking further steps forward, rather than receiving calls for his benching by some impatient and unwise Bears fans.

Waldron wasn't the answer – okay, that's fine. But the truth of the matter is Chicago can only afford to miss so many times. They entered the 2024 campaign with a lame duck head coach who should've been fired after last season. Their last two offensive coordinator have been a disaster, and their likely replacement, Thomas Brown, is another in-house hire.

To make matters worse, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year. His offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, was interviewed by the Bears as well this offseason, but didn't get the job.

There's a false narrative which has prevailed in the NFL for far too long, and it suggests quarterback busts occur because of some form of personality or on-field flaw. However, the far more likely reason is the development staff around that play. No matter how talented they are – and in Williams case, very talented – they can be wasted with the wrong supporting cast.