The Bears’ offense floundered early, and even with a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams and a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, there was no time to waste. With a playoff-ready roster, they needed urgency rather than patience.
They’d been in that situation a few times recently, and between play callers who were unwilling or unable to shift, couldn’t pull out of their nosedives. Matt Nagy was bullheaded to the end, as was Luke Getsy, and as a longtime defensive specialist, Matt Eberflus didn’t seem to know how to intervene.
This time was different.
Eberflus promised to “go directly to that issue” when alarms went off about the offense, and it appears he did. While much has been made of players raising concerns with Waldron after the Week 3 loss to the Colts, Eberflus actually orchestrated that meeting. He asked players for their thoughts, then insisted Waldron join them for a brainstorm.
And with critiques coming from both directions, Waldron did something Nagy and Getsy didn’t: He changed course.
“It’s really cool to have a coach that’s been receptive to what we have to say and has been able to keep it real with us as well,” tight end Cole Kmet told the Sun-Times. “Flus always talks about the partnership between the player and the coach, and Shane’s really embodied that.”
Waldron’s pivot to more no-huddle offense and a more straightforward running game, as well as improving his communication on the sideline being clearer with players on a script of plays to open games all helped the Bears pile up 95 points over their last three games.
Those performances came against terrible defenses, though, and the Bears will test the legitimacy of their progress against the Commanders on Sunday. They’re 15th in points allowed at 21.7, get steady pressure in the pocket and are run by one of the NFL’s most respected defensive minds in coach Dan Quinn.
Ultimately, the uptick and its potential sustainability might be just about Williams, and the Bears’ future hinges much more so on him than any coordinator. And there’s no guarantee the offense will keep it up against better opponents, but at least Waldron’s process is sound and sensible.
“The ability to adjust, the ability to communicate is always going to be important,” he said Thursday. “And that really leads to in-game, where it’s the most important time to adjust and adapt… and not wait until it’s too late.”
Nagy never delivered much creativity after some gimmicks in his first season, when the defense carried the Bears. He often was too clever for his own good.
Getsy’s big move was turning Justin Fields loose as a runner in 2022, leading to his 1,000-yard rushing season — and the Bears saying that wasn’t viable.
“Sometimes it could be stubbornness, but sometimes people just don’t know how to adjust,” Kmet said. “Whatever they’re running is what they’ve always run, and it’s hard to adjust and find another way of thinking.
“It takes a leap of faith to change when you’ve done a certain thing throughout your career. But Shane’s done a really good job of being willing to adjust.”
Any credit or blame for Waldron reaches Eberflus by extension. The wins and losses go on his record, and it’s unlikely he’ll get to hire another offensive coordinator if this doesn’t work out. Waldron said Eberflus is in “a ton of offensive meetings,” and Kmet called him “the real glue” in the offense’s newfound cohesion.
Eberflus doesn’t have to become an offensive mastermind, but he needs to ensure that side of the ball is well run and free of dysfunction.
It’s a promising sign of him growing into the job of overseeing the entire operation, something he’d never done before the Bears hired him in 2022. But there will be more junctures at which the Bears need to adapt, and Eberflus must make certain they do.