Matt Eberflus says changes are ahead for the Chicago Bears offense. What does that mean for OC Shane Waldron?

Matt Eberflus promised “adjustments and changes” to the Chicago Bears offensive operation Monday at Halas Hall, but the coach wasn’t yet prepared to announce what those changes will be as the Bears try to dig themselves out of an ugly three-game losing streak.

Less than 24 hours after the Bears lost 19-3 to the New England Patriots at Soldier Field, Eberflus said the Bears still were evaluating whether offensive coordinator Shane Waldron would remain as the play caller and if he would remain on the coaching staff.

“The process of that, we’re going through that right now,” Eberflus said during his usual Monday news conference. “All those adjustments and changes and things that we’re going to do, we’re still in the evaluation phase of that.”

Waldron’s offense has scored just 27 points in three games, hasn’t scored a touchdown in 23 possessions in two games and totaled just 142 yards against the Patriots. Behind an offensive line missing several starters, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been sacked 15 times in two games — nine times Sunday — and has regressed from his best game against the Jacksonville Jaguars a month ago.

Eberflus said Williams will remain the Bears starting quarterback. But the coach’s lack of a vote of confidence in Waldron — the former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator whom he backed a week earlier after a loss to the Arizona Cardinals — is probably telling.

Eberflus said he needs to make a decision “fairly quickly” as the Bears prepare to host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Soldier Field. But he also wanted to go through his normal film evaluations and team meetings Monday morning.

“It’s important that we take time to make those decisions and make the right decisions that’s best for the Bears going forward this week and going forward into the future,” Eberflus said. “That’s the most important thing that we do, that we have some steadiness here, but also make the necessary adjustments and changes that we need to make, what’s best for the Bears going forward.”

He added: “It’s important that we’re using all the people in the building, on the coaching staff, getting all the input, putting our minds together to come up with the best answer.”

Eberflus said he is examining what can be done to improve in-game communication and tactical adjustments as he makes his decision.

The Bears have other options on staff who can take over as offensive play caller if they move on from Waldron. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, who was the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator last season and called plays in two separate stints in 2023, is one potential candidate.

Eberflus called the decision on Waldron “mine alone,” though he did say he’s talking it through with general manager Ryan Poles.

“I’m in constant communication with Ryan Poles, as he is with me,” Eberflus said. “So we’ll work together, but again, it’s ultimately my decision.”

Eberflus said he also meets with Williams every weekday and after games to gather input on how he is feeling within the Bears offense.

Over the last three games, Williams has completed 50.5% of his passes for 468 yards, no touchdown passes or interceptions with 18 sacks and a 64.7 passer rating.

“I just want to take the temperature of him, where he’s at, where his confidence level is, which is high,” Eberflus said. “Him working with the other players, relational and also scheme, (we are) making sure we’re getting that done.”

Bears running back D’Andre Swift spoke to reporters after Eberflus and said he didn’t know anything about potential coaching changes, noting the players simply went to Halas Hall as they usually do on Mondays to evaluate film. He didn’t offer an opinion when asked if there needed to be changes.

“That’s above my pay grade,” Swift said. “I’m here to make plays. I’m here to be here for my teammates. I know what we do need to do as players, and that’s execute better.”

Swift, who has 110 rushing yards in the last two games, said he doesn’t put performance on the field on coaches, and he complimented Waldron on his back-and-forth communication with players as they try to work out the offense’s issues.

But Swift also pointed to an issue mentioned by several players in the last few weeks — the need for better focus from the players during the week as the Bears prepare for their games. Swift didn’t put that on coaches. But such attention to detail ultimately falls on them.

“Everybody can be a little bit more intentional in their work, take a little bit more pride in the detail and the focus that goes into it, the preparation that goes into it throughout the week,” Swift said. “So come game time on Sunday, it’s execution, because we’ve seen it Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. That’s where we can grow and get better. It starts on Wednesday.”

It was hoped this might be a breakout season for the offense. In addition to drafting Williams at No. 1 in April, the Bears traded for Keenan Allen this offseason, signed D’Andre Swift in free agency and selected Rome Odunze in the first round of the draft, adding those playmakers to a group that already featured DJ Moore and Cole Kmet.

The Bears hired Waldron last winter to replace Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator. But through his first nine games in Chicago, the output of Waldron’s offense has lagged behind the production of the 2023 Bears under Getsy in total offense, rushing offense, third down efficiency, sack rate and yards per passing play.

Even with a decimated offensive line and a rookie quarterback, the Bears struggles proved jarring Sunday against the 3-7 Patriots. After nine games, the Bears now rank 29th in the NFL in total offense and 28th in passing yards.

The Bears are readying to begin a 12-day stretch in which they play three consecutive division games against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. At this point, the team’s fading playoff hopes may be difficult to revive. But given the team’s direction, the Bears seem as if they would benefit from some form of change.

“It’s important that we look at everything and we take the time to get that done,” Eberflus said.

Eberflus’ morning got off to a rocky start when he joined “Kap & J. Hood” on WMVP-AM 1000 for his weekly Monday radio appearance on the team’s flagship station. Eberflus’ cell connection faltered three times. From there, the interview was canceled.

He came to his regular news conference a few hours later to answer 11 minutes of questions from reporters. But Chicago is still waiting for his final answer on what changes are ahead.