The Chicago Bears have been building towards something during their time under John Fox, but will waiting until it is fully realized cost Fox his job?

The team has been steadily moving away from the players that came up short under previous head coaches Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman in favour of young talent. Their rebuild has culminated thus far in the seemingly risky selection of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky second overall in this year’s draft. The NFL draft is somewhat of a crapshoot, but the Bears seem to have the pieces in place, including the polarizing Trubisky, to form a league contender in the near future. Unfortunately however for coach Fox, he could end up being a placeholder coach for the rebuilding of the franchise, not the success that may come after.

NFL head coaches typically get a three-year window to return their team to at least mediocrity before they are shown the door. Coincidentally, Fox is heading into his third year stalking the sidelines for the Bears. Cleary 2017 could be a make-or-break year for Fox in Chicago.

In the 2015-16 season, Fox’s first in Chicago, the team finished 6-10. It was the fourth time in five years that the Bears had a record under .500. It was time for a change in personnel. While Fox has faced his fair share of cynics during his time with Chicago, he has made several forward-thinking decisions, alongside general manager Ryan Pace, that have pushed the team in the right direction. Heading into last season, the Bears made a multitude of moves to bolster their weak defense and increase their young talent pool.

Fox and Pace started their offseason by signing two veteran middle linebackers to control the middle of the field. Next, they needed a go-to pass rusher, so they chose Georgia-product Leonard Floyd in the 2016 draft. Floyd’s rookie season was cut short because of injury, but he finished with a passable seven sacks in 12 games. Although Floyd was solid in his first year, the Bears’ true virtuoso selection didn’t happen in the first round; it happened in the fifth.

No one expected much out of Jordan Howard heading into his first season in the NFL, but he shocked the football world with his incredible play on the field. Howard finished second in rushing yards in the NFL last year, trailing only fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliot. The kicker is that Howard actually averaged more yards-per-carry. From unknown to one of the top running backs in the league. On top of Howard and Floyd, the Bears also drafted guard Cody Whitehair, who appears to be a pro bowler in the making. Nonetheless, the Bears finished the 2016-17 season a dismal 3-13, but it was a transition year and Fox rightfully deserves a pass.

Although the 2015 selection of Kevin White appears to be a whiff, the team partly filled the wide receiver need when they discovered undrafted gem Cameron Meredith. Speaking of wide receivers, losing Alshon Jeffrey to free agency definitely hurts, but the Bears wisely kept themselves cap-flexible for future moves. Not to mention, the team finally cut ties with the most consistently inconsistent quarterback in the NFL: Jay Cutler.

Yes the Bears have fielded consistently worse teams under Fox during his two-year tenure, but he and Pace have embraced the necessary evil that is the NFL rebuild. Media experts seem split on whether the Bears will truly compete next season, nevertheless it should not matter concerning Fox’s job security. Chicago will soon be on the rise and Fox deserves a lot of credit for the strides that the team has already made.

2017 should act as another season of growth for this transitioning Bears team, which means both their players and head coach should be given a certain amount of leeway. He has brought two franchises (the Panthers and Broncos) to Super Bowl berths in his career and who says he can’t do the same with the Bears. The jury is still out on the team, but Fox has earned the opportunity to at least see this process through.