Former Bears' HC Matt Eberflus is finally getting some interest on the market in a role that better fits his strengths as a coach
As the Chicago Bears' head coaching search continues to heat up by the minute, the team's former head coach is starting to garner some attention as well.Former Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus is involved in the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator search, according to ESPN's Jeremey Fowler.Prior to being hired by the Bears in 2022, Eberflus […]
As the Chicago Bears' head coaching search continues to heat up by the minute, the team's former head coach is starting to garner some attention as well.
Former Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus is involved in the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator search, according to ESPN's Jeremey Fowler.
Prior to being hired by the Bears in 2022, Eberflus served as the Indianapolis Colts' defensive coordinator from 2018-2021 and could be looking to land back in that position with a new team in 2025.
Even as the Bears' head coach, Eberflus was known for his defensive prowess, which has definitely been his strong suit. Eberflus certainly has his downsides when it came to being a head coach, but the play of his defense always remained strong.
By the end of the 2023 season, the Bears' defense started playing like one of the best units in the league, including having the top ranked run defense, and that level of play continued into the start of the 2024 season.
However, Eberflus started to eventually lose the locker room after losses continued to accumulate throughout the course of the season. That, coupled with the lack of development with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and questionable coaching decisions, led the organization to make an uncharacteristic move by firing him midseason.
Once the move was made, however, the impact on the defense was evident. From Weeks 1-13, the unit allowed 20.0 points per game with 1.58 turnovers per game. After Eberflus was fired, the unit allowed 26.0 points per game with 1.0 turnover per game.
Even during his time with the Colts, Eberflus' defense was a Top-10 ranked unit in multiple categories.
One thing is for certain with Eberflus' coaching ability, his defense plays hard and his unit helps keep anyone in the game, no matter who's leading the offense. That kind of coaching could be enticing for the Bengals, who will have a much better offense on the other side of the ball than anything Eberflus has ever been around.
If Cincinnati goes through with Eberflus, this would be a great opportunity for the former Bears' coach to get back on his feet and do what he does best.
