It’s crazy how history seems to repeat itself.
In 2015, GM Ryan Pace decided to start a rebuild alongside veteran defensive coach John Fox.
The roster was torn down, and efforts were made to start building it back up.
However, things didn’t improve in 2016 after the expected down first year.
The Chicago Bears finished 3-13.
It was clear to most everyone that there would be a quarterback change since they held the third overall pick.
The issue is whether the Bears should keep Fox to this end, as he has never developed a QB in his career.
This is especially noteworthy, with several top offensive line coaches (Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan) likely to be hired in the next cycle.
Everyone remembers what happened.
Chicago decided to give Fox another year.
The Bears went 5-11, Mitch Trubisky struggled, and they ended up firing him anyway.
That meant the season was utterly pointless as the next head coach would bring in new systems and philosophies the quarterback would have to learn.
Meanwhile, McVay and Shanahan have gone on to huge success on the west coast.
Now, here the Bears are again.
A defensive coach in Matt Eberflus hasn’t shown any signs of having the team pointed in the right direction.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that they will hold a top-three pick next season, making their draft probability a new quarterback record.
Last but not least, the 2024 cycle promises to feature exciting young offensive line coaches.
could pull another John Fox.
With all due respect to Eberflus, the evidence does not support the idea that he deserves another season.
He is 6-21 as a head coach, by far the worst winning percentage in so many games for any Bears coach in history.
His in-game decision-making is bad.
The team is undisciplined, committing way too many penalties and other mental mistakes.
Even his bread and butter, the defense, has underwhelmed for most of his tenure.
None of his core philosophies have manifested in this organization.
With a possible new quarterback on the horizon, GM Ryan Poles faces a franchise-altering decision.
Either he sticks with Eberflus, hoping he can eventually turn things around, or he backs out in hopes of pairing the QB with an offensive-minded coach.
There is no shortage of hot names.
Bobby Slowik is doing incredible things with rookie C.J.
Stroud in Houston.
Ben Johnson has turned Detroit into a well-rounded heavyweight.
Eric Bieniemy showed he’s more than just an Andy Reid puppet after leaving Washington.
One of them will definitely be better suited for the job at hand.
The big unknown is whether the Bears will recognize him.