The entire Chicago Bears organization has a chance to make a huge statement on Sunday

When Kevin Warren sits back next month and decides who he wants to put faith in to lead the rebuild of the Chicago Bears, there are two names he’ll be evaluating: Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles.

In that evaluation, nothing may end up weighing more than what takes place on the field in Cleveland this Sunday.

When the last regime of the Chicago Bears was fired despite being only one year into the development of a rookie quarterback (Fields), it was unanimously approved. Despite positive developmental signs later in the year, there were certain unforgivable decisions by the coaching staff and performances by the team that signaled to everyone change was needed.

None larger than what happened in week 3 of the 2021 season when rookie quarterback Justin Fields made his first career start in Cleveland.

The Browns beat the Bears 26-6. The Chicago Bears compiled 47 total offensive yards, 1 of which was their lone net passing yard on the day. Justin Fields was sacked 9 times. Myles Garrett, who I’m sure Justin still sees ghosts of, was responsible for 4.5 sacks on the day.

The performance was so bad and the coaching was so inept that Dan Orlovsky went on national TV the next morning and called for Matt Nagy to be fired immediately.

The Chicago Bears got embarrassed and ran out of town the last time they played in Cleveland. Will it happen again on Sunday?

This game 2 years ago sealed the fate of one regime, and if history repeats itself it may seal the fate of another. From top to bottom the current front office/coaching regime of the Bears was brought in for one purpose: to develop a quarterback.

It has been clear from the jump that this regime has not operated with any allegiance or ties to Justin Fields, but it’s also imperative for their own job security to prove they can develop a quarterback so they can be entrusted with the next rookie’s development.

The Chicago Bears currently sit at 5-8. With the last two wildcard spots in the NFC wide open for any two of the eight teams in the mix to grab, the Chicago Bears have a chance to do something very few thought possible in September/early October.

However, accomplishing that goal will require exorcising some demons that have not only been hanging over the quarterback’s head but also the organization that has not once developed a franchise quarterback in the modern era.

There’s a lot on the line this weekend when the Chicago Bears head to Cleveland. In a way, it’s a rather poetic, full-circle moment for this organization. Find a way to win and for the quarterback to play well, jobs might be saved and draft talk may cease. Lose like last time; It may lead Kevin Warren to realize that not much has changed in two years after all.