With the 2023 NFL season officially in the books, all the attention has turned to the NFL offseason, with the Chicago Bears being put under the microscope moving forward because the team owns the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Bears brass have a tough decision to make once the team is on the clock on April 25, but in the meantime, the team has some other things to take care of, with the top priority likely being whether or not to trade quarterback Justin Fields.
Along with a potential game-changing decision to be made over the next two months, the Bears hired defensive coordinator Eric Washington, but it doesn’t appear that he’ll have a lot of power on the sideline in Chicago.
According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Washington will be the defensive coordinator, but head coach Matt Eberflus will be the defensive play-caller moving forward.
#Bears HC Matt Eberflus told reporters that he will continue to serve as the defensive play-caller for next season.
Chicago hired Eric Washington as DC, but Eberflus will call the plays on gameday. pic.twitter.com/aOZvx32jmW
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 22, 2024
Even though the Bears improved from 2022 to 2023 with a four-win improvement, it was nowhere near enough to get this team back in playoff contention, as Chicago still finished last in the NFC North with a record of 7-10.
As the result of another disappointing season, the Bears brass has a lot of work to do this offseason to right the ship, but the team does have the assets to make a considerable improvement for next season and beyond.
The team might be vulnerable defensively, with the team not confident in handing over the reins to the new defensive coordinator, but the offense can get a boost by bringing in USC quarterback Caleb Williams and trading Fields for assets that can be used to build this squad moving forward.
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