The rumor mill in Chicago is scalding hot as the Chicago Bears are reportedly considering Washington Commanders’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as a potential replacement for embattled head coach Matt Eberflus. This latest development was broken by CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson in a social media post on Tuesday morning, adding Bieniemy’s name to the list of big names being considered by the Bears’ top brass, including Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
Eberflus, 53, took on the head coaching role for the Bears in January of 2022. However, the team has struggled under his leadership, maintaining a dismal record of 7-22 through 29 games, including a franchise-high 14-game losing streak.
Bieniemy, who previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and contributed to two Super Bowl titles, has been a sought-after candidate for various NFL head coaching vacancies. Currently in his first season with the Commanders, he has had mixed results with the team scoring 261 points through 13 games, averaging 20.07 points per game, ranking 17th among the 32 NFL teams.
The Bears’ offensive struggles are evident as they enter the upcoming game against the Detroit Lions with 16.5% of their offensive drives ending in turnovers this season, placing them third worst in the NFL behind the Las Vegas Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings.
In a recent statement to reporters, Eberflus acknowledged the team's slow start to the season but expressed optimism about their performance in the past eight weeks, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the upcoming game against the Detroit Lions.
The possibility of Bieniemy taking over as head coach for the Bears has sparked significant interest and speculation among fans and analysts. As the situation continues to unfold, it will be interesting to see how the Bears’ leadership navigates this critical decision.