Chicago Bears HC Matt Eberflus talks players, recent moves

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus sat down for an interview and talked about the team and some of the recent moves made.

The Chicago Bears made some major moves this offseason. Almost as soon as the season ended, George McCaskey fired general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. The fans applauded the moves but were uneasy about who would come to replace them.

After a search, the Chicago Bears hired Ryan Poles to take over as general manager. Poles’ first move was to find a head coach. Instead of going with an offensive-minded person like many wanted, he turned to former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to lead things on the field.

Poles also overhauled the front office and added an assistant general manager (a position filled by Ian Cunningham).

Of course, the hires still have that new car smell so there is a wait-and-see attitude for all the new hires. One thing, however, is that some are wary of the players signed in free agency. Poles went into free agency with about $30 million to spend and a lot of roster openings. The Bears had over 60 percent of the roster become free agents. There were popular players released, traded, and allowed to walk as free agents.

The players Poles received to replace them haven’t exactly been a who’s who of football players. Poles elected not only to avoid overspending but also to spend as little as possible. He went with one or two-year contracts (just like Pace did near the end of his tenure), so there will be another mass exodus next offseason.

The difference, however, is that the Bears will have about $130 million in cap space, and that’s before other cuts. The Bears are primed to be major players in free agency next season if Poles decides to loosen the purse strings.