Poles said he is going to be proactively involved in vetting and interviewing coaching candidates in the press conference, and he should because his job is on the line more than ever. Plus, Eberflus probably lacks connections within the league other than Frank Reich, a former Colts and Panthers head coach, who was his boss in Indianapolis, though it is been rumored that he is considering retirement.
Even if they draft a quarterback at No.1 or keep Fields in 2024, it will be interesting to see how attractive this job is, who can they realistically hire, or if it will lead to friction between the two over differences of opinion over candidates and offensive schemes down the road.
If you look at the division, the Bears are still behind the Packers, and the Detroit Lions won the division this year. And the Minnesota Vikings, who won the division in 2022 will do everything to avoid another 7-10 season. Their head coaches are head and shoulders above Eberflus, who is now 2-10 within the NFC North the first two seasons. Only the Bears look like their head coach will enter a lame-duck situation in 2024 unless they extend him to make the offensive coordinator job more attractive.