Bears not changing QBs – Caleb Williams ‘our starter,’ coach says

Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that he is still in the process of deciding changes to help the team’s struggling offense but made it clear that rookie Caleb Williams will remain the starting quarterback.

“Caleb is our starter,” Eberflus said.

Besides the quarterback position, however, “everything is on the table,” Eberflus said.

He wasn’t ready to disclose those changes on Monday, however.

The Bears coach had acknowledged Sunday after the team’s 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots — its third straight defeat — that who calls the offensive plays was one of the changes he was considering.

Six days after declaring that Shane Waldron would continue in his role as offensive coordinator after Chicago lost 29-9 at Arizona, Eberflus did not rule out making a change at offensive playcaller after the Bears’ struggles were magnified by the Patriots.

Chicago has not reached the end zone in back-to-back games and has gone 23 straight offensive drives without a touchdown, which marks the longest active streak in the NFL. The Bears’ last touchdown was Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard go-ahead score in Chicago’s 18-15 loss to Washington on a last-second Hail Mary in Week 8.

Williams was sacked nine times by the Patriots, which brings his total from the past three games to 18. During Chicago’s recent losing streak, Williams has logged his three highest-pressure-percentage games of his career.

Williams, the first overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, completed 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 120 yards, his lowest passing output since throwing for 93 yards in his NFL debut against the Titans. Collectively, Chicago’s offense was 1-of-14 on third down (7%), its worst mark since 2012.

Williams is backed up by veteran Tyson Bagent.

Waldron was hired in January 2024 after the Bears fired former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy after two seasons. Getsy, who was hired by the Raiders shortly thereafter, was fired last week amid Las Vegas’ 2-7 start.

Waldron served in the same role for the Seattle Seahawks from 2021 to ’23, which coincided with quarterback Geno Smith’s career resurgence in 2022, when he was named the league’s Comeback Player of the Year.

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin contributed to his report.