3 candidates to replace Matt Eberflus as head coach of the Chicago Bears

A loss to the Detroit Lions will bring Matt Eberflus almost closer to being fired as the team’s head coach. Even with a win, it would be unlikely that Eberflus can climb out of the grave created by the Bears’ dysfunction over the last month.

Some will view the firing of Eberflus as the first time that Ryan Poles, unless fired, will have complete autonomy in hiring the Bears’ next head coach.

When Poles was hired as the Bears’ general manager through outside consultants, the organization likely narrowed the list of head coaching candidates to Eberflus, Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell. Poles was tasked with deciding between the three players with Eberflus wins, perhaps because the two had the same agent.

Poles can do no wrong with this attitude. Unless Williams goes bust, Poles will lose his job if he fails to break the Bears’ cycle of constant mistakes when it comes to hiring head coaches.

But Williams is the difference when it comes to the Bears’ search for a new head coach this offseason. While Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields had potential that lured coaches to Chicago, Williams’ play this season will have candidates lining up at Halas Hall begging for the job.

1. Thomas Brown

First, let’s get Thomas Brown out of the way. If the Bears and Williams offense continue to improve toward the end of the season, Brown will not only be considered as the next head coach; he could be the favorite. In his press conferences alone, Brown is everything Eberflus is not. That doesn’t mean he’s the right candidate for head coach, but he has a chance to strengthen his candidacy in the coming weeks.

2. Cliff Kingsbury

It appears that Matt Eberflus was afraid to hire Kliff Kingsbury as the Bears’ offensive coordinator last January. This fear could be due to the fact that Eberflus did not want his eventual successor in the same building as him this offseason. Rumors suggest that this could be the reason why Eberflus initially overlooked Brown as the team’s offensive coordinator. Kingsbury was a hot name during the Commanders’ early-season success and will likely continue to play a role this offseason given his connection to Caleb Williams.

3. Mike Vrabel

After the Tennessee Titans’ surprise firing last offseason, Mike Vrabel will likely be a popular candidate in the January hiring cycle. While Vrabel’s offensive assistants aren’t the offensive linemen Bears fans would like to pair with Williams, they have been popular candidates in past recruiting cycles. If the Bears are primarily looking for a leader who has the opposite style of Eberflus, Vrabel would be an easy choice.

You may be wondering why Ben Johnson is not listed and the evidence suggests he will have no interest in joining a Bears organization that has been the epitome of incompetence since George McCaskey took over as the team’s chairman in 2011 . Additionally, Johnson doesn’t want to practice against his current team, the Detroit Lions, twice per season and is likely seeking more organizational stability than the Bears can currently offer.