When Matt Eberflus walked into his first training camp as the Chicago Bears head coach, he did so with a collection of 19 assistants, a mostly handpicked coaching staff he believed could help lift the team to new heights.
That was just 27 months ago. At the midpoint of his third season, only eight members of Eberflus’ original staff remain.
And now, even one of the “Let’s try this again” hires has exited Halas Hall with Tuesday’s firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Waldron lasted just nine games after Eberflus chose him to be the chief overseer of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ development. Needless to say, that didn’t work out. In a jaw-dropping move at a desperate time, the Bears showed Waldron the door and turned over his play-calling duties to passing game coordinator Thomas Brown.
Whoa.
If you’re keeping track, Waldron is the third coordinator Eberflus has parted with in 2½ seasons. Over the last 15 months alone, 10 of Eberflus’ assistants have departed, including eight via either resignation or dismissal.
The organizational flow chart at Halas Hall is often in a state of upheaval. Here are the 13 assistant coaches who have left Eberflus’ staff since 2022, in reverse chronological order.
Shane Waldron
Exited: Tuesday
Snapshot: After the Bears went into their bye week last month coming off a pair of offensive explosions (424 yards, 35 points vs. the Carolina Panthers and 373 yards, 36 points vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars), the offense fell down a hole. In consecutive losses to the Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, the Bears scored only two touchdowns and 27 points while allowing 18 sacks and averaging 3.7 yards per play. The nosedive was pronounced. The resulting dejection inside the locker room was impossible to ignore. The stakes, with Williams’ development the top priority, had to be considered.
Replaced by: Thomas Brown
Luke Steckel
Exited: February 2024
Snapshot: Steckel spent the 2023 season as the assistant offensive line coach. He followed former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to Las Vegas to become the Raiders tight ends coach.
Replaced by: Jason Houghtaling
Justin Hinds
Exited: February 2024
Snapshot: Hinds spent two seasons as the assistant defensive line coach under Eberflus and Travis Smith before leaving for a better position, becoming the Seattle Seahawks defensive line coach this season.
Replaced by: Bryan Bing
Luke Getsy
Exited: January 2024
Snapshot: Getsy’s 2023 Bears offense ranked 20th in total yardage and 27th in passing production, averaging just 182.1 passing yards per game. Despite having the league’s No. 2 rushing attack and ranking in the top 15 in third-down conversion rate and red-zone efficiency, the Bears also allowed 50 sacks and quarterback Justin Fields, a first-round pick in 2021, never made enough of a developmental breakthrough.
Replaced by: Waldron
Andrew Janocko, Tyke Tolbert, Omar Young, Tim Zetts
Bears quarterback Justin Fields practices with quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, left, and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy on Aug. 2, 2022, during training camp at Halas Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Exited: January 2024
Snapshot: In last winter’s Eberflus-authorized reboot for the offense, the Bears — in addition to Getsy — also dismissed their quarterbacks, wide receivers, interim running backs and assistant tight ends coaches the week after the season ended.
Replaced by: Kerry Joseph, Chris Beatty, Chad Morton. (Zetts’ role as assistant tight ends coach wasn’t filled.)
David Walker
Exited: November 2023
Snapshot: Just six weeks after defensive coordinator Alan Williams’ exit, the Bears fired Walker for what sources said were conduct-related reasons. Dismissing the running backs coach felt like another bale of straw on the camel’s back of culture that the Bears so often prop up as a positive. Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles, though, held up Walker’s firing as proof they were unwilling to let improper behavior slide. Said Eberflus: “We have a standard to uphold. When that standard is not met, we act.”
Replaced by: Young and later Morton
Alan Williams
Exited: September 2023
Snapshot: Williams’ abrupt and mysterious resignation came after the third game of an 0-4 start. Multiple sources told the Tribune the defensive coordinator’s exit from Halas Hall was conduct-related, though the team designated “personal reasons” for Williams’ departure. As part of a three-paragraph statement, Williams wrote, “I am taking a step back to take care of my health and my family.”
Replaced by: Eberflus and later Eric Washington
Austin King
Exited: March 2023
Snapshot: Austin was the assistant offensive line coach under Eberflus and Chris Morgan in 2022 before leaving for the same job on Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos staff.
Replaced by: Steckel
James Rowe
Exited: January 2023
Snapshot: After working on Eberflus’ defensive staff with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, Rowe followed Eberflus to Halas Hall and spent 2022 as the Bears defensive backs coach. He departed after the season to return to the college ranks as South Florida’s safeties coach and defensive passing game coordinator.
Replaced by: Jon Hoke
Ronell Williams
Exited: March 2023
Snapshot: Williams was a holdover from Matt Nagy’s staff and served under Eberflus for one season as a defensive quality control coach. The Philadelphia Eagles hired him to be their assistant linebackers/quality control coach.
Replaced by: Kevin Koch
