Will the Chicago Bears clean house? It’s certainly trending in that direction. A byproduct of going from 5-1 to 5-7 and wasting another year of a good defense on bad quarterback and overall offensive play. Most agree that GM Ryan Pace is likely gone. He’s about to go his fifth season in six years without a playoff appearance. He made the Mitch Trubisky pick. The man had a good plan but clearly didn’t execute it. If he’s out, that means Matt Nagy will follow right?
It’s possible but not nearly as clean-cut as people might think. Certain insiders, both local and national have warned of the possibility the Bears may choose to hang onto Nagy. At least for the time being. He has two years left and his contract. Players don’t seem to have quit on him as they so clearly did on Marc Trestman back in 2014. His leadership skills are there. The sticking point has been his offense. It hasn’t performed.
He is in danger but there is still hope.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN was asked about Nagy’s situation to this point. He made it clear the entire coaching staff is in hot water. They know that and are putting in a ton of work trying to fix what is ailing this team. It doesn’t look good but Nagy does have some things going for him. Namely a strong relationship with the McCaskey family. Good lines of communication.
The key is how the Bears end up finishing this season. If they continue to add to their six-game losing streak and fail to pull the nose up? He is all but gone. However, if they somehow snag a few wins to avoid a losing record, that might be enough to avoid the ax. The idea would then be ownership bringing in a new GM to pair with him in hopes of maybe finding that elusive quarterback he doesn’t have.
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Keeping Matt Nagy would be a big gamble
This isn’t something new to the McCaskey family. Firing a GM but keeping the head coach is something they’ve done before. They kept Dick Jauron while hiring Jerry Angelo in 2003. They kept Lovie Smith while hiring Phil Emery in 2012. They also kept Dave Wannstedt in 1997 when they promoted Mark Hatley. So most would say this is pretty on-brand for the organization.
Some people are arguing Nagy was Coach of the Year in 2018. Is he really the problem? Maybe he got the absolute most out of a roster that was never as good as it seemed. Others argue the roster is better than people think and Matt Nagy just hasn’t gotten the most out of them. He does nothing for the defense and can’t even elevate players to their full potential on offense, his supposed area of expertise.
Remember there’s a reason he gave up play-calling.
There are plenty of questions being asked about him that are more than fair. The key is whether the Bears believe he can mature with a little more time. It would be a significant gamble if they stay the course. A move that is certain to garner plenty of criticism from fans and media alike.
