The Chicago Bears are officially beginning a new regime. After having Ryan Pace as their general manager for the past seven seasons, and Matt Nagy as their head coach for the past four seasons; the Bears are ringing in a new era as former Kansas City Chiefs executive Ryan Poles has been named as the team’s new general manager and former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has been named the team’s new head coach.
The first order of business for both Poles and Eberflus will be to complete their respective staffs. Poles, a first-time general manager at the age of 36, will likely seek to fill the front office with executives that he has connections with or previously worked with during his tenure with the Chiefs. Eberflus, a first head coach at the age of 51, will need to round out his coaching staff. It seems like a forgone conclusion that both offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and defensive coordinator Sean Desai will be replaced. Of course, the attention will be on the offensive staff of the Bears as the maximizing the skillset of quarterback Justin Fields will be the priority.
Once the respective staffs are completed, the attention will turn to the Bears’ roster. The first insight into the type of roster that the Bears want to have under Poles and Eberflus will be in March at the start of NFL Free Agency. Free Agency will allow Poles and Eberflus the first opportunity to target current NFL players that fit their goals for the Bears.
The Bears’ roster is currently littered with players that fit the philosophies of both Pace and Nagy. Chances are there will be a good amount of turnover on the Bears’ roster once the 2022 season starts. The biggest turnover will likely be on the defensive side of the football as Eberflus prioritizes a Tampa-2 base defense and the Bears’ defense was previously operating in a 3-4 base defense.
With Matt Eberflus in place as the Chicago Bears’ head coach, expect the team to target players from the Indianapolis Colts.
If the Bears are going to change to a Tampa-2 defense, chances are the team will target players that have a connection to Eberflus. There are three free agents in particular from the Indianapolis Colts that the Bears need to target.