As the end of the NFL season approaches, the coaching carousel is once again set to go into motion as multiple teams are likely going to pull the plug on disappointing leadership structures throughout the league and hope for better results the next time around.
The Chicago Bears have suffered through an abysmal season in the NFC North and it's quite possible that head coach Matt Eberflus is Eber-flustered enough to be done on the sidelines. (Sorry we couldn't help ourselves there.) And one rumor has a longtime Kansas City Chiefs coordinator potentially taking his place.
NFL reporter Josina Anderson is hearing that the Bears are showing interest in former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as a potential replacement for Eberflus.
I’m told the Chicago #Bears are expected to have interest in #Commanders assistant head coach/ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, among others, with general knowledge that current HC Matt Eberflus is under evaluation with the team at 4-8, per source. pic.twitter.com/eZCMvjDbF6
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) December 5, 2023
The Bears are off to a 4-8 start and seem light years from the club that earned substantial preseason buzz as a team on the rise. Instead of moving forward with young quarterback Justin Fields, the team might end up drafting a brand new franchise quarterback in the coming draft, which would only reset any progress made this season
General manager Ryan Poles, who is running the show in Chicago, is overly familiar with Bieniemy after serving alongside him in Kansas City for several years. Poles was an executive under three general managers in Kansas City and took over the Bears role a few years ago.
Bieniemy is currently the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator, his first year outside of Kansas City where he served in several roles for a full decade, including five as the team's offensive coordinator during Patrick Mahomes' first several seasons as a starting quarterback.
Bieniemy has been a hot name at this time of year for most of the last half-decade, so this sort of rumor is nothing new. Despite his resume, over half of the NFL's franchises have left him standing when the music stops which has led to doubts about whether or not Bieniemy would ever fulfill his dream of being an NFL head coach.