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Being a Bears assistant coach should come with a hazard warning.
The Bears fired running backs coach David Walker, head coach Matt Eberflus announced Wednesday morning.
ESPN reported Chicago made this decision “because of behavior in the workplace.”
The 53-year-old had already been “reprimanded” by the Bears’ human resources department and a second instance resulted in this firing, per the report.
“As the head coach, we are building a program and have standards to uphold to as a staff and organization both on and off the field, and those standards were not met,” Eberflus told reporters Wednesday.
Walker, in his second season with the team, is the second assistant coach to leave the Bears midseason, joining former defensive coordinator Alan Williams.
Eberflus did not provide details regarding what specifically triggered this decision.
“It’s disappointing from my vantage point,” Eberflus said. “We have a standard to uphold to. When that standard is not met, we act. We act accordingly, and that’s what we did today.”
The 2023 season has been disastrous for the 2-6 Bears aside from their positioning for great 2024 draft picks, but the shuffling of coaches has made it downright bizarre.
Walker, a Rochester native who played for Syracuse, has 26 years of coaching experience, according to the team.
His coaching experience includes stints as a running backs coach at the collegiate level with Syracuse and Pittsburgh, along with NFL roles with the Colts (2011-14) and Lions (2016-18).
The Bears produced the most rushing yards in franchise history last season, while also leading the NFL.
This season, the Bears rank sixth with 132.8 rushing yards per game while dealing with injuries to quarterback Justin Fields and starting running back Khalil Herbert.
Assistant quarterbacks and wide receivers coach Omar Young is taking over for Walker.
“The standard has to be met,” Eberflus said. “When it’s not met, you make a decision and we did that.”
Williams previously resigned from his role as defensive coordinator in September due to “inappropriate” behavior, according to ESPN, and that outcome also included the HR department.
His resignation included rumors that the FBI raided his house and the Bears facilities, though Williams’ attorney denied those allegations.
Williams mentioned his health and family reasons for why he stepped down.
Eberflus, who is handling the defensive play-calling duties since he’s a defensive-minded head coach, said the Bears do not have a culture problem after losing two coaches.
“The culture in our building is outstanding,” Eberflus said. “The guys work hard every single day. The relationship piece is there. We care about each other. We’re working diligently to get this thing turned.
“Our culture is awesome.”
The Bears, who surprisingly traded for pass rusher Montez Sweat on Tuesday, visit the Saints on Sunday in Week 9.
They currently own the second and third overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, per Tankathon.
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