Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus won’t reevaluate Luke Getsy until after 2023 season

LAKE FOREST – Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is saving his evaluation of the offensive play caller until the end of the season.

Asked about the status of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy during a radio segment with ESPN 1000 this week, Eberflus said he has no intention of making a change right now. During a media session Wednesday at Halas Hall, Eberflus reiterated that.

“I love Luke,” Eberflus said. “He’s a great leader in the room. Like I said, I’ll evaluate everything at the end. We’re constantly evaluating things every single day.”

Notably, that doesn’t appear to be a vote of confidence for Getsy moving into 2024. But, frankly, the Bears have a lot of decisions up in the air right now.

Eberflus said he’s not thinking beyond these final three games of the 2023 season. The head coach, frankly, can’t afford to be thinking beyond that yet.

“It’s critical that we focus on being the best we can be this week against this opponent right here, right now, and have our feet right here,” Eberflus said.

The Bears’ offense struggled again Sunday in a loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Bears blew another fourth-quarter lead, and the offense couldn’t find a groove. The offense’s only touchdown drive totaled 1 yard after safety Eddie Jackson nearly returned an interception for a touchdown.

Certainly it wasn’t all the offensive coordinator’s fault. The offensive line, which lost Teven Jenkins midway through the game, struggled mightily against a tough Browns defensive front. The pass catchers dropped some key opportunities, including a potential game-winning Hail Mary.

But Getsy is the man in charge of the offense, and the offense has yet to produce against a quality defense this season. The Bears hired Getsy in 2022 in order to elevate quarterback Justin Fields’ game to the next level. The results have been up and down.

Eberflus has had to call the defense since Week 2, after defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned unexpectedly. Taking on a more meticulous role with his defense probably has taken Eberflus’ attention away from the offense.

Eberflus, though, said he’s still heavily involved in the offensive meetings and game planning.

“I’m always interjecting ideas and looking at the plan and making sure we’re on point in terms of the protection, in terms of the routes, in terms of the run game, all those areas,” Eberflus said. “During the game, same thing.”

There’s a partnership to the process. Eberflus said on critical downs, Getsy might give him two plays and ask which one the head coach likes better in that situation.

“There’s constant communication during the week and constant communication during the game,” Eberflus said.

There’s constant communication during the week and constant communication during the game.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

The Bears rank 22nd in the NFL, scoring 20.5 points per game. They rank 22nd in total yards per game (317.9 yards per game) and the passing attack ranks 27th (183.5).

The game against Detroit a week ago was the perfect example of how being the offensive play caller can be a roller coaster. The Bears dialed up a trick play with receiver DJ Moore taking a direct snap, faking a pitch to Fields and running in for a touchdown. It was beautifully designed and flawlessly executed.

In the same game, the Bears rank a fake “tush push” play on fourth-and-1, pitching the ball to Moore, who was stuffed well short of the line to gain. As Getsy said himself later in the week, he knew the play wasn’t going to work the moment he saw how the Lions lined up.

With any team and any play caller, not every play is going to work.

Many in the building remain behind Getsy, especially the offensive assistant coaches. Bears wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said he might see a college football play one week and send it to Getsy. It’ll be in the playbook a week later.

“Luke is one of the smartest guys I know when it comes to football,” Tolbert said. “He really knows football inside and out. Run game. Protection. Passing game. Whatever. The main thing I can appreciate is how he brings it all together. He takes our ideas, everybody’s ideas, has his own ideas, we sit in a room and we hash through all the ideas – what’s useful for us and what’s not useful – and we put [a plan] together as an offensive unit.”

Still, the head coach hasn’t made any decisions about the future. Eberflus when asked about it a second time Wednesday, reiterated that the Bears are focused on the here and now.

“We’re going to assess all those things at the end and, again, we’ve got to play these games right here, right now,” Eberflus said. “So we’re going to focus on being our best when our best is required, and that’s required today.”