The Bears bucked the Black Monday trend and waited until Wednesday to make sweeping changes to their coaching staff. In all, five coaches were fired. Other coaches remain. Much of the news came in a flurry. If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for all the news, you’ve come to the right place.
BEARS COACHES WHO WERE FIRED
LUKE GETSY - OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
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The Bears made strides in 2023, but the offense still lagged behind the defense. Throughout the year, Getsy was scrutinized for his game plans and for his playcalling. Further, it took time for the team to deploy a scheme that utilized Justin Fields’ strengths, even though the team seemed to figure it out in 2022.
It wasn’t all bad for Getsy this season. He figured out how to make DJ Moore the central figure of the passing attack, as needed, after a slow start. He helped to get Fields going towards the end of the year. The run game was effective for the second year in a row. That wasn’t enough to save his job.
ANDREW JANOCKO - QUARTERBACKS COACH
Janocko’s fate was likely decided along with Getsy’s. If Fields didn’t develop enough for Getsy to keep his job, then it makes sense that the team decided to fire Janocko, too. Like Getsy, Janocko did some things well. He deserves praise for tweaking Fields’ mechanics and footwork effectively. Those things helped Fields improve his timing and accuracy.
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TYKE TOLBERT - WIDE RECEIVERS COACH
Tolbert can add DJ Moore’s name to the list of exceptional receivers he’s helped reach new heights. Moore had a career year in his lone year working under Tolbert, similar to the success a rookie Anquan Boldin enjoyed with the Cardinals or Demaryius Thomas with the Broncos. But Tolbert was never able to help a No. 2 wide receiver thrive in his two years with the team. Both Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool regressed, and no one else emerged as a viable WR2.
OMAR YOUNG - RUNNING BACKS COACH
When the Bears fired former RBs coach David Walker in November, Young took over the position group. It’s hard to fully judge his contributions in such a short amount of time, but the Bears had both good and bad running games while he was leading the unit.
TIM ZETTS - ASSISTANT TIGHT ENDS COACH
It’s unclear why the Bears fired Zetts, especially given one of the updates coming later on in this story.
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BEARS COACHES WHO ARE STAYING
MATT EBERFLUS - HEAD COACH
The move is not unexpected as Eberflus oversaw a turnaround for the team both in the standings and on the defensive side of the ball. The Bears finished the 2022 season with a league-worst 3-14 record, but improved to 7-10 in 2023. Further, he helped pull the Bears run defense out of the league basement and they finished as the No. 1 run defense unit in the NFL in 2023.
Eberflus also earned credit for keeping the team from folding after a disastrous first month of the season. The offense was ineffective, the defense couldn't get off the field on third down and surrendered many explosives, and defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned. All of that resulted in an 0-4 start. Dating back to 2023, the Bears had a 14-game losing streak. Many teams would have quit on the year or quit on their coach. The Bears did neither. Many players throughout the year continued to trust in Eberflus' process and plan, and they finally started to win games.
CHRIS MORGAN - OFFENSIVE LINE COACH
Morgan helped Braxton Jones, a fifth-round draft pick who played college ball at Southern Utah, turn into a reliable left tackle. There were questions about Jones’ pass protection throughout his rookie season, but Jones noticeably improved in his second year. Morgan also played a key role in the team drafting starting right tackle Darnell Wright with the No. 10 overall pick in the draft in 2023. Morgan put Wright through a rigorous pre-draft workout, then quizzed him to test his mental fortitude after exhausting exercise. Wright obviously passed and continued to grow under Morgan’s tutelage. Finally, Morgan helped Teven Jenkins make the transition from tackle to guard over the past two seasons, where Jenkins has largely flourished. However, the next Bears OC will almost certainly have the opportunity to evaluate Morgan and decide whether or not to retain him.
JIM DRAY - TIGHT ENDS COACH
Dray has overseen Cole Kmet’s development into one of the better two-way tight ends in the NFL. When Kmet joined the Bears, he was known more as a pass catcher than a blocker. But over the course of the past two seasons, his blocking has improved both in line and out in space. That has allowed the Bears to use him in more scenarios, like as a leaking receiver on play-action passes. Kmet has also grown as a pass catcher and set career highs for catches (73) and receiving yards (719) in 2023. The Bears recognized Kmet’s growth by signing him to a four-year, $50-million extension last July. Like Morgan, the next OC will likely have the chance to evaluate Dray.
ALL DEFENSIVE ASSISTANTS
The defense took a big step in 2023 so it’s no surprise that linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, safeties coach Andre Curtis, cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke and defensive line coach Travis Smith are all staying.