NFL broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit strongly commends Bears roster moves, Matt Eberflus

NFL broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit strongly commends Bears roster moves, Matt Eberflus originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

It's been quite the transformative offseason for the Bears.

They drafted Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, acquired Keenan Allen, D'Andre Swift and Kevin Byard, and overhauled their coaching staff. The Bears are set for an exciting season and NFL/College broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit recognized their improvements on "The Pat McAfee Show."

"The moves, of course, they made with DJ Moore last year, picking up Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze comes over in the draft," Herbstreit said. "And then you put a lot on what the rookie quarterback's gonna do in Caleb Williams.

"There is a lot there, to me, to think that the Bears kind of a team when you get to Week 3, Week 4, Week 5 and you think 'What the hell happened to the Bears?' Now, that's putting a lot on Caleb. But at least they put a lot more pieces around him than Justin had to work with. I'm excited to see what happens there.

One of the Bears' biggest changes they made actually wasn't a change. In a season filled with failures and controversy in the coaching department, Bears GM Ryan Poles showed his appreciation for Matt Eberflus by retaining him, yet dismissing most of the offensive coaching staff.

That's a move that Herbstreit respected greatly.

"Every time I kept thinking 'Are they gonna fire [Matt] Eberflus? Are they gonna fire him like every other franchise does?'" Herbstreit said. "And I got on a Zoom with him to get ready to call a game, and he just had authentic energy that I think his players really rallied around and believed in.

"And I thought initially it was maybe just kinda show, but as it went on, I saw how the team responded to him and I thought 'Man, this team I think really likes this guy.' And they're really responding to him."

It's true. The Bears won five of their last eight games and their last five home games of the season to finish the year strong. They also kept their last five opponents to an average of 16.8 points per game, which slotted in the top five defensive scoring ranks in that time frame.

That doesn't happen without Eberflus impressively spearheading the defense without the help of defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who resigned earlier in the season unexpectedly. Eberflus rallied a team that could've easily stayed down after being dismantled several times early in the season.

How far will the Bears get in 2024 with Eberflus' leadership and the roster overhaul? Stay tuned.

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