Keeping Matt Eberflus was Ryan Poles' second mistake
This brings us to Matt Eberflus still being the head coach in 2024. Ryan Poles had the opportunity to show Eberflus the door at the end of the 2023 season. I know that many fans wanted this to happen because they wanted to see the head coach and a new quarterback (Caleb Williams) aligned. That never seems to happen here in Chicago and we all wanted a change. Just like the Chicago Bears never fire a coach before the end of the season. I doubt they start now with Eberflus.
Rumors are that Ben Johnson, the Lions' offensive coordinator, was interested in taking on the Bears job if Eberflus was fired. He wasn't given the opportunity since Eberflus was retained. It would have been interesting to see Johnson as the head coach seeing he is once again the hot name being floated around for head coaching jobs in 2025.
Hiring Matt Eberflus was flawed and never would have been the true demise of Ryan Poles' career here in Chicago. However, retaining him after two awful years of football might be worse. Poles should have given Eberflus the same treatment he gave Justin Fields. He should have told him he appreciates what he has done for the team during his time here, but the team is looking to go in a different direction as they prepare to draft Williams with the first-overall pick. Now, Poles might be shown the door in the near future.