Chicago Bears, Ryan Poles / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
Three days after parting ways with head coach Matt Eberflus following a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears have decided to keep general manager Ryan Poles in his role. Poles will lead the search for the team’s next head coach, team president and CEO Kevin Warren announced Monday.
“Ryan is young, talented, bright and hardworking,” Warren said. “He has done everything in his power on a daily basis to bring a winner to Chicago. And I’m confident in Ryan. My faith remains strong in Ryan.”
Poles Takes the Lead
Poles, who was hired alongside Eberflus in January 2022, will have the final say in hiring the next head coach—the 17th in the franchise’s 105-year history. The team has not yet decided whether to use a search firm for the process.
Under Poles and Eberflus, the Bears underwent a significant rebuild. After a 3-14 campaign in 2022, the team improved to 7-10 in 2023. This season started with promise after drafting quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, as Chicago opened with a 4-2 record. However, a six-game losing streak, including four one-score defeats, led to Eberflus’ dismissal.
“I want to thank Coach Eberflus for his efforts and his dedication while he was here, but at the end of the day, we just came up short too many times and we had to make a change,” Poles said. “As I reflect back two years ago, I was proud of the progress that we made from Year 1 to Year 2, but disappointed we weren’t able to stay on that track in Year 3.”
Leadership Changes Amid Criticism
The organization appointed offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as interim head coach, with wide receivers coach Chris Beatty promoted to offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington will now handle defensive playcalling duties.
Brown acknowledged the team’s late-game struggles, which have been a recurring theme in the Bears’ season, including a last-second loss to the Lions.
“I know there was a lot of scrutiny, talk, dialogue about what has happened at the end of some of these games,” Brown said. “I’m not exempt from responsibility in those actions, because we’re a team. I believe in doing things together. We get rewarded together; we also get criticized together.”
The decision to fire Eberflus after his routine press conference last Friday drew criticism. Warren admitted they could have handled the timing better but emphasized the organization’s commitment to informing Eberflus personally before any leaks occurred.
“In retrospect, could we have done it better? Absolutely, and I’ll be the first one to raise my hand, yes,” Warren said. “But during his press conference and even a couple hours later, we had not reached a decision.
“But on the flip side of it, something that was important to us is that once we reached a decision, we wanted to make sure to talk with Matt about that so he could have the respect to be able to call his family. And I’ll say this, one thing that happened, this is the first time, and it happens around the league a lot where a head coach will find out he’s terminated and he finds out before he’s told from the organization, and that’s something that we promised that we weren’t going to do.”
Five-Game Evaluation Period
The Bears have five games left to evaluate Brown’s potential as a permanent head coach. The stretch begins in Week 14 with a road matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Poles highlighted the importance of continuity for quarterback Williams, who is key to the team’s future.
“[Williams’] development is critical, so we need to make sure there’s alignment in that space so he can continue to get better,” Poles said.
While Williams may not have direct input in the coaching decision, Poles stressed that the candidate’s ability to develop a young quarterback will be central to the interview process.
The Bears aim to move forward with a unified vision, one that gives them the best chance to build a winning team around their young talent.
Related Content: Bears Fire Matt Eberflus, but Questions Remain
This report used information from ESPN.
