The Chicago Bears believe they have one of the NFL's best head coaches, but not everyone agrees.
Chicago enters the 2024 season with the playoffs on their mind. Head coach Matt Eberflus is working with by far the most talented roster that he's had since arriving in Chicago in 2022. The Bears drafted Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze with the No. 1 and No. 9 picks, respectively, in the 2024 NFL Draft, and expectations are high at Soldier Field.
Eberflus has gone 10-24 over his first two seasons as Bears head coach, but he hasn't had an adequate roster until now. A former linebackers coach and defensive coordinator in the NFL, Eberflus's defensive expertise in combination with Chicago's new-look electrifying offense could make the Bears a complete football team.
Still, Eberflus and his young core face an uphill battle in the brutal NFC North. If Chicago can hold its own and vie for playoff positioning, Eberflus is likely to silence certain critics who do not feel that he is as good of a coach as advertised.
Eberflus was not ranked favorably in a list of NFL head coaches released Thursday by CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin.
Benjamin ranked Eberflus at No. 26 on the list, sandwiched between the Arizona Cardinals' Jonathan Gannon at No. 27 and the Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald at No. 25.
In the report, Benjamin acknowledged the Bears as a Wild Card contender thanks in part to Eberflus' defensive brain.
"Perhaps no coach will benefit more from a personnel overhaul in 2024, with Caleb Williams and a trove of proven weapons coming aboard this offseason," Benjamin said. "Chicago is also betting on Eberflus' recent returns as a defensive mind. After an ugly one-and-a-half years that included in-season staff turnover and mercurial offense, his "D" finally came to life late in 2023, threatening a wild-card push."
Not surprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs' Andy Reid landed at No. 1 on the list, followed by Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams at No. 2.
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