Everybody except the Bears saw the Matt Eberflus implosion coming, including Caleb Williams

The Chicago Bears have not had a true franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman helped George Halas revolutionize the forward pass in the 1940s. Even as the passing game has grown, no quarterback in the franchise’s history has produced a single season with more than 4,000 passing yards.

At first glance, the perpetual quarterback purgatory may seem to be something more than bad luck. When the Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, many analysts and fans believed that the winds of fortune were finally shifting in the Windy City’s favor. Some even predicted that Chicago would be a playoff team.

Instead, the Bears have proven that organizational malpractice, not luck, is the cause of their quarterback woes. 

Dysfunction is ruining the Bears season once again

The Bears fell to a 4-4 record after a humiliating 29-9 loss against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9. Chicago has now lost two consecutive games following their Week 7 bye, and blame for Chicago’s struggles has shifted onto Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. 

The Bears have shown signs of being an undisciplined, poorly coached team in both of their most recent losses. At this point, it’s fair to wonder whether Eberflus has much control of his team.

Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson’s antics led to a game-winning Hail Mary for the Washington Commanders in Week 8, and he reportedly pulled himself out of practice after learning he was benched for his actions. Following Chicago’s Week 9 loss, Eberflus has had to answer questions about why wide receiver D.J. Moore took himself out of the game by walking off the field in the middle of a play.

None of this should come as a surprise. In fact, it should have been expected. As SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell noted, coaching instability has become a part of a vicious cycle for the Bears.

The Bears have drafted a quarterback in the first round three times since 2017. Each time, the rookie quarterback’s development has been hindered by a coaching change heading into their pivotal sophomore season.

John Fox was head coach when the Bears drafted Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Fox was replaced by Matt Nagy after finishing with a 5-11 record. The Bears drafted quarterback Justin Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and then replaced Nagy with Eberflus the following season. 

Now, it seems likely that Eberflus will be shown the door after Williams’ rookie season. 

The Bears rarely make the right decisions. Loading up on skill position players but neglecting the offensive line has proven to be a questionable decision by general manager Ryan Poles, and the on-field product has shown that the coaching staff should never have been trusted to develop Williams. After all, even the rookie quarterback knew that preseason snaps would have been valuable when Eberflus opted to sit him out of the Hall of Fame Game.