Bears coach Matt Eberflus knew what everyone else knew last season: There was only so much he could do amid the necessary roster teardown as general manager Ryan Poles embarked on an epic rebuild.
But Eberflus didn’t give in to the idea that it was a throwaway season until the finale, when the Bears held out quarterback Justin Fields knowing that a loss gave them a chance at landing the No. 1 overall draft pick. It was a reasonable time to concede. In the 16 games before that, though, Eberflus insisted on making the best of his limited personnel.
