The Chicago Bears are at a crucial turning point. With a 4-5 record, they are preparing for a home game against the Green Bay Packers. Tension is high after a chaotic few weeks, particularly the last 48 hours. On Tuesday, the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and on Wednesday, head coach Matt Eberflus spoke to the media. Eberflus answered a range of questions, handling most with professionalism and taking responsibility, as most head coaches do. However, when asked if benching quarterback Caleb Williams was a possibility this season, Eberflus didn’t dismiss the idea—he left it open as a potential option.
“We are looking at everything week to week. We always do that. What’s best for the football team.”
This statement indicates that the Bears made a huge mistake by choosing to retain Matt Eberflus as their head coach.
The Bears’ biggest nightmare is becoming reality.
Matt Eberflus’s unwillingness to rule out benching Caleb Williams this season underscores why a coach lacking job security shouldn’t be responsible for developing a rookie quarterback. Eberflus is feeling the pressure to win, which often conflicts with the patience required for a rookie QB. Growing pains were expected in Caleb Williams’ first year, as rookie quarterbacks rarely have a smooth learning curve, and Williams is no exception.
Yet, despite being on his third offensive coordinator since joining the Bears, Eberflus has hinted he might bench Williams if things don’t improve under new OC Thomas Brown. This approach isn’t fair to Williams or to Bears fans. Benching him risks damaging his confidence, which could hurt his long-term development. Eberflus even acknowledged on Wednesday that the best way for Williams to grow is through real-game experience. And yet, here we are again, with Eberflus contradicting himself and fueling unnecessary speculation.
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I don’t think Caleb is doing a great job. Just my opinion. I think he’s capable of being great yes. But right now I think he’s overwhelmed.
Can’t bench Caleb right after firing Waldron. You’ll never know if it’s Brown and his play calling, or Bagent being more NFL ready. Doesn’t make sense.
You have to pair the new OC with the rookie QB to see what’s needed to make CW better, starting with the Oline of course.
Remember: Eberflus also promoted C-Mo to running game coordinator on top of o-line coach because he was doing such a bang up job with the o-line! What a freaking joke!
If you bench Williams because you don’t have enough healthy linemen who you trust not to keep him alive and intact, and you need a couple of weeks for guys to get back on the field ready to play, and stabilize your OL, then I think it is fine to put Bagent in for a few weeks. You are protecting your franchise QB’s future. If you are benching Caleb Williams because you have done a terrible job coaching him, and you hope Bagent can pull out a few wins to save your job, then you are a joke as a… Read more »
Are there enough healthy bodies to put an OL together this weekend? Is Caleb on pace for the most sacked rookie qb record? That would be something to shoot for. Offensive ROY prob off the table at this point.
Too much draft capital invested in CW to risk critical injury due to GM’s questionable prioritization of said capital. Never hurts to give qb2 some game action now and then especially when you might have a Brock Purdy sitting on the bench.