Back in January of 2022, Matt Eberflus was the right man at the right time for the Bears. 

When Eberflus was then tabbed as the Bears’ new head coach, he was identified by Ryan Poles in large part due to his reputation for developing players. Hired days earlier as general manager, Poles was preparing to lead this franchise forward in a rebuilding blueprint. 

The goal for Poles and his brass was to bring the Bears premium talent for a roster that needed to be rebuilt, while Eberflus and his coaching staff were asked to instill the right principles and style of play. 

Despite the great growing pains during these last two years – plus plenty of unnecessary distractions inside Halas Hall – the Bears took strides forward. Eberflus has guided the influx of young promise towards hopes of sustained success that Poles envisioned. 

Year 3 of this plan at Halas Hall will bring heightened expectations and a new task for Eberflus. Now, he must lead the Bears to wins. 

Poles has done his part over more than two years, including this transformational offseason in which the Bears selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams joined a roster that’s ready to win – constructed with homegrown talents and key veteran additions. 

[READ MORE: The 10 most important building blocks for the Bears’ future]

But before the Bears could embark on their plans for this offseason, Poles and team management had to make their decision on whether to retain Eberflus for a third season. It was hardly a formality, as the team didn’t reveal its intentions until three days had passed. 

“The stability was a big piece of it,” Poles said in January after electing to retain Eberflus. “The detail that he coaches with. Taking some of the mistakes from the game, bringing them to practice and making sure that we’re doing things the right way, I saw a lot of progress in that. There’s a reason why we went from 3 to 7 wins.  

“The player aspect of it is important but also the detail and bringing the team together, sticking through those hard times allowed us to push through and you saw a lot of those wins happening towards the back end of the season. If it’s not for him, I really don’t think that’s the case. I think it starts to crumble (and) everyone starts to do their own thing.” 

Through the most difficult days over two losing seasons, Eberflus stated his belief that the Bears had a foundation on which to build. Led by Eberflus, the Bears must once again increase their win total in 2024 – this time emerging as a legitimate playoff contender. 

That means Eberflus along with Shane Waldron, Kerry Joseph and their offensive coaching staff must lead the 22-year-old Williams towards personal success in his first year, maximizing the pieces on offense for a productive, prolific unit. As a defensive-minded coach, Eberflus needs to push that group towards its goal of becoming a top-five defense in the NFL. 

Above all, Eberflus has to learn from his own mistakes over the first two years of his tenure and be a firm leader of a talented team. Just as the Bears have grown to this point, Eberflus must reveal he has too. 

Eberflus’ job relies on the Bears enjoying a breakthrough season. He is both the betting favorite for NFL Coach of the Year, but also could be considered on the hot seat if Chicago isn’t enjoying the success it hopes to find. Though Eberflus was retained with belief from Poles and management, he has not been given security of a contract extension revealed to the public.  

The Bears have rebuilt under the watch of Poles into a team boasting such potential moving forward. This could be the beginning of a fruitful era of football in Chicago. 

This is time for the Bears, but Eberflus must prove he can be the right coach for a winning team.