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.
The best that group could do was 3-14, and there wasn’t much evidence either way on how good of a coach Eberflus was in his debut season.
He steered the NFL’s worst roster to the NFL’s worst record, doing no better or worse than anyone could’ve reasonably expected. There weren’t any embarrassing gaffes, and aside from revamping the offense and stunning the Patriots on Monday Night Football, there weren’t any profound strokes of genius.
The upcoming season should be a much more revealing test. Eberflus has had two drafts, two free-agent classes and nearly a year and a half to set the tone inside Halas Hall. The roster isn’t perfect, but it’s viable and Eberflus was instrumental in filling it. This team will be reflective of his competency.
Eberflus never threw his players under the bus last season, but his comments on the revamped roster hint at the gap between where the Bears were and where they stand now. After free agency, when the Bears signed star linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, he said “of course” the Bears will be able to do more schematically with upgraded players and believed the team had added starters “across the board.”
When he watched the Bears during the first week of Organized Team Activities, he saw more talent and a sharper practice.
“The whole thing,” Eberflus said when asked what went better about practices this week. “The coaches are on the same page, they understand what the expectations are, [and] the players understand that. There’s nothing like experience, so just going through it a second time together, I think it’s very helpful.”
Eberflus harped on establishing “championship habits” last season, which was an interesting endeavor with such a bad team. And in a rebuild, he was imprinting his principles on many players who were destined to head out the door after the season anyway.
But he already is seeing the effect it had on the Bears’ young core. He shouted out quarterback Justin Fields and safety Eddie Jackson, as well as second-year players in safety Jaquan Brisker and left tackle Braxton Jones, for transferring essential knowledge to the new players — a group that includes 10 draft picks and 14 veterans acquired in free agency or by trade. If they all make the team, that’s nearly half the roster.
“It’s pretty cool to watch them teach our structure and teach our culture and how we go about our business,” Eberflus said. “It’s been really good.”
With all of that in his favor, the expectations on Eberflus are higher. The fact that they exist at all is a change from last season.
While the Bears are still one more offseason away from being graded as a finished product, there’s enough in place for Eberflus to make something of this team.
There’s a wide range of outcomes for the Bears this season. They could take another baby step forward to five wins, a modest stride closer to .500 or even jostle for a playoff spot. That’s really up to Eberflus. It depends on Fields, too, but that falls under Eberflus’ purview as well.
This season will provide an important glimpse into Eberflus’ defensive expertise. Poles believes he has put enough pieces in place for Fields to thrive, but the defense doesn’t appear to be as well stocked.
The Bears had the weakest pass rusher in the NFL last season and did not add a single fearsome defensive end in free agency or the draft. Trevis Gipson (three sacks last season) and (seven) currently are in line to start. They also have Rasheem Green (3 1/2) and Dominique Robinson (1 1/2).
Their best effort toward fixing that was drafting defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens in the second and third rounds, respectively.
“They dent the pocket,” Poles said. “That makes it a shorter edge for the outside guys.”
It takes some trust to accept that as meaningful work toward fixing the defense’s biggest problem. Now Eberflus has to show it’s more than merely a theory.
He’s a CEO-style head coach and has fully delegated the defense to coordinator Alan Williams, but Eberflus got the job in large part because of his success over three decades of coaching on defense. He got his start under Nick Saban.
While his most valuable attribute might be his ability to lead the organization on a broader scale, his specialty is still defensive problem solving. If the Bears aren’t known for their defense during Eberflus’ tenure, it’ll be a disappointment.
The Bears’ chances this season hinge on a lot of ifs.
If Fields grows as a passer, they’ll have a good offense. If Eberflus and Williams can manufacture a pass rush, either through player development or brilliantly scheming around the Bears’ deficiencies, their defense can be at least middle of the road. If both of those things happen, they’re a playoff team.
Wherever they land on that spectrum of possibilities will tell a lot about whether they’re on the right track with Eberflus.
