3 Bears who should join Matt Eberflus being pushed out the door for 2025

The Chicago Bears started the Caleb Williams era 4-2. There was palpable excitement around this team for the first time in ages. Fast forward to this Sunday, and Chicago has lost five straight to tumble out of the postseason race, now dead last in the NFC North. It has been a true disasterclass from Matt Eberflus, who has all but lost his job.

There was a serious push to fire Eberflus last season, but the Bears showed just enough in the final weeks of the season to save his job for another season. There was hope that real personnel and a real quarterback might put Eberflus on the winning track.

Those folks were almost right, but in the end, Eberflus' catastrophic clock management and feel for the game have doomed Chicago too frequently for any uptick in "talent" to matter. The Bears still have deep-seated personnel issues, particularly on the defensive end, where Eberflus butters his bread, but he is the obvious scapegoat for this horrendous stretch.

At this point, it's really just a question of whether or not Eberflus finishes the campaign in Chicago, or if the Bears bite the bullet early. With the tank moving full-steam ahead, it honestly might benefit the Bears to keep Eberflus around to lose a few more games, but that strategy also risks alienating folks in the locker room and derailed Caleb Williams' development.

Here's who should join Eberflus on his way out the door when the time arrives.

3. Tyrique Stevenson isn't giving the Bears enough, second-round pick or not

The Bears secondary was a major issue in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, with Sam Darnold picking Chicago apart for 330 passing yards and two touchdowns. Minnesota's offense has been in a state of disrepair lately, so it's a bit troublesome to see Darnold so convincingly relocate his groove against an ailing Bears team.

Credit to Caleb Williams and the Bears offense for keeping pace with Minnesota pretty much until the bitter end, but if Eberflus' defense was operating up to even half its potential, we'd be discussing a Bears win right now. There is blame aplenty to go around, but second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson stands out as especially worthy of criticism.

The 2023 second-round pick was integral to the Vikings' late passing barrage, which ultimately sealed a Minnesota victory. Also, in case you're unconvinced, here's one of the worst and most consequential missed tackles you'll see all week.

The Bears need more from everybody in the secondary. Stevenson is an NFL sophomore, so he probably deserves some patience, but Chicago can't be operating under the assumption that Stevenson is an obvious building block. If anything, perhaps he's trade fodder in pursuit of a better DB.

2. Kevin Byard is clearly past his prime for the Bears

Among the Bears' most notable additions last offseason was two-time Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard. The veteran has been productive in recent campaigns, including a career-best 122 tackles in 2023. He addressed a clear point of weakness on the Bears roster and brought winning experience to a youthful group.

It's probably harsh to describe Byard's play as 'poor' this season, but it's not up the standard he's set. At 31 years old, it's hard not to feel like he's on the decline, which Chicago's patchwork secondary cannot afford. Byard carried 71 tackles and one interception into the Bears' Week 12 game. He didn't help his case with another mediocre outing.

Simple breakdowns in coverage like this are unacceptable. Byard is the veteran in the Bears secondary; he has to be more locked in.

Byard's contract is on the books for next season, but Chicago may want to investigate alternatives — or at the very least adding more depth around him, in case this descent continues. We know what Byard is capable of at his best, but those moments have been few and far between for Chicago this season, especially of late.

1. Keenan Allen feels like a dead man walking for the Bears

Keenan Allen put together his best performance of the campaign on Sunday, netting nine receptions on 15 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown. It wasn't the most efficient outing, but it was nice to see Allen break out of his season-long slump behind one of Caleb Williams' most productive outings to date.

So, why is Allen halfway out the door already? Part of it is his contract, which expires at season's end. But part of it is a simple acceptance of the facts. Allen, at 32, is no longer the bankable WR1 he was in Los Angeles. He's on the downturn, and it's tough for his best game of the season to coincide with another heartbreaking loss. Allen was finally involved in the offense at a level befitting his status as a six-time Pro Bowl wideout and it... didn't matter. The result was the same, another loss.

Chicago invested a lot in the WR position last offseason. DJ Moore remains the obvious top target for Williams, while Rome Odunze figures to increase his workload and efficiency in due time — perhaps with a more palatable scheme and offensive ecosystem around him in 2025. Allen, meanwhile, feels like a misuse of resources. He's still good enough to command a significant contract, or at least to coax an overpay out of a desperate pretender. The Bears shouldn't bite.

It's time for the front office to focus energies elsewhere, while perhaps using the NFL Draft as a pathway to more depth around the Moore-Odunze duo, which feels like the future for Chicago.