To say that Matt Eberflus had a rough debut as a head coach in 2022 would be an understatement. 

The Eberflus-led Bears ended with an NFL-worst record and landed the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bears undoubtedly boasted one of the worst rosters in the league, so it's tough to fairly judge Eberflus. 

However, one NFL writer thinks he's seen enough to already write Eberflus off. 

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently ranked each NFL HC from 32 to 1. Eberflus received the No. 32 ranking, finishing dead last. 

Regarding Eberflus, Benjamin said the following:

It's not all Eberflus' fault he debuted with a stripped-down roster, but if you're gonna be a defensive HC in today's NFL, you'd prefer not to shepherd one of the league's worst units on that side of the ball. A big leap from QB Justin Fields would help.

Benjamin determined his rankings based on which coach makes the "biggest difference with his strategy, his experience, his leadership."

How, then, could Eberflus be ranked behind head coaches who haven't even taken the field yet? For example, Arizona's Jonathan Gannon comes in at No. 31, having no HC experience and captaining what is expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. 

Shane Steichen of the Colts and DeMeco Ryans of the Texans are ranked at No. 24 and 25 respectively, with neither having HC experience. 

Benjamin partly explains the logic here by mentioning that Eberflus is a defensive-minded coach, yet had one of the worst defenses in the league. However, there's only so much a coach can do in his first offseason at the helm. 

Looking at the 2022 Bears' roster, there was not much talent on defense. Linebacker Roquan Smith and edge Robert Quinn were shipped off mid-season, and star safety Eddie Jackson missed several games with injury. 

Other than those factors, the talent level just wasn't there. Eberflus has stressed the importance of the 3-technique position in his scheme, yet he didn't have of note in 2022. Veteran Justin Jones was brought in to be a stopgap here, but he ended 2022 with one of the worst PFF grades among defensive tackles.

This offseason, the Bears made many notable additions on defense. Linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards were brought in to man the middle of the field and lead the unit. Rookies Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens are two run-stuffing defensive tackles who should compete for big roles immediately. The secondary should be improved as well, with a healthy Jackson, rookie Tyrique Stevenson, and Jaylon Johnson. 

If the 2023 Bears are near the bottom of every defensive category again, I think Benjamin's ranking would have some merit. I just think it is way too soon to completely lose faith in Eberflus. 

Featured image via © Daniel Bartel | 2023 Jan 8