The NFL coaching carousel is already underway after the Los Angeles Chargers fired Brandon Staley, and the Chicago Bears are also a candidate for big changes in the coming weeks.
Matt Eberflus has been the focus of widespread criticism and speculation, though the Bears’ improvements over the last month and a half may be enough to keep the head coach in his job for at least another season. However, the script could be altogether different for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
“I don’t care if the Bears win out on the last three games. There is no reason why Luke Getsy should hold onto his job [and] stay on as the as the OC next year,” Haize of Chicago Bears Central said Monday, per Bleacher Report. “Luke Getsy once again shows that when the going gets tough, he tightens up as an offensive play caller.”
The Bears have amassed 30 total touchdowns over the course of 14 games this season, which is in the bottom half of the league (21st in the NFL).
More than that, though, quarterback Justin Fields has struggled to make the jump as a passer and to play consistently since Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles brought Getsy in two years ago. The deficiencies in Fields’ development have shown up late in Chicago’s last two losses — one to the Detroit Lions on November 19 and the other to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
The Bears held double-digit leads in the fourth quarters of both contests, only to lose each in the final seconds. They are the only two losses for Chicago in its last five games, and had the Bears been able to hold on, the team would be 7-7 and in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
Regardless of some offensive breakdowns at critical times, Fields has shown flashes of brilliance this season, just as he did during his sophomore campaign in 2022. However, his inability to break through to elite, or borderline elite, status as a passer is a reflection on Getsy and has him on the hot seat as the regular season draws toward a close.
Chicago is likely to select first in the 2024 NFL Draft after acquiring the rights to the Carolina Panthers‘ top pick. The opportunity to draft a generational QB like Caleb Williams may necessitate the Bears moving on from Fields, which is an outcome that may also result in Getsy’s ultimate dismissal from his position in Chicago.
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