Matt

Eberflus

It checks the main boxes of the recent Jerry Jones administration: We know who he is (Eberflus coached Cowboys linebackers before becoming Indianapolis’ defensive coordinator) and he won’t be expensive. Eberflus’ zone-centric scheme will probably demand better cover linebackers than Eric Kendricks. Chicago’s defense came across as very static last season before Eberflus was fired. That doesn’t mean Eberflus runs a bad scheme, but it is going to take a major talent infusion for Dallas to play as well as Chicago did last season.

According to Pelissero, Eberflus should be announced as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator “as long as all goes well” in a final interview today. The former Bears head coach went 14-32 in his three years at the helm but was put on the head coaching radar following a solid four-year stint with the Colts (2018-2021) as their defensive coordinator. Eberflus will take on a Cowboys defense that ranked 31st in points allowed and 28th in total yards allowed but still has stars Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs in tow. With that said, the Cowboys have several key defensive players set to hit free agency and limited cap space to work with, which could limit their ability to improve a unit that fell off in a big way in 2024.

Schottenheimer and Eberflus would make for perhaps the least exhilarating head coach-defensive coordinator tandem in the game today. To Eberflus’ credit though, he has fielded potent defenses in the past. “Eberflus was a Cowboys assistant from 2011-17" before accepting the Colts’ defensive coordinator gig. He spent the 2022-2024 seasons as the Bears’ head coach before ultimately being replaced in-season by interim head coach Thomas Brown.

It was reported last week by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Bengals had an interest in the former Bears head coach, but the Falcons became the first team to officially have an interview with him after they shared the news via their social media accounts. Eberflus went 14-32 during his time as the Bears’ head coach, but he rose to prominence as a respected defensive coordinator with the Colts from 2018-2021. Eberflus’ defense ranked in the top 10 in fewest points allowed in three of his four seasons with the team, and ranked 12th in EPA per play over that span. Despite the Bears’ struggled in 2024, Eberflus’ defense also ranked 13th in points allowed and finished 13th in EPA per play. Eberflus could also see growing demand as teams begin to fill their head coaching vacancies in the coming days/weeks.

We take Fowler’s phrasing to mean that the Bengals are interested in hiring Eberflus for their vacant defensive coordinator role. He adds, that Eberflus “should be in the coordinator mix league-wide.” Eberflus’ successes working as the Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2018-2021 earned him the Bears head coaching gig, so returning to the defensive coordinator ranks certainly makes sense.

Eberflus becomes the first head coach in the Bears’ 100-plus year history to be fired mid-season. Less than two hours after trotting Eberflus out for a Friday press conference, the organization has decided to pull the plug after a staggering mid-season collapse. Thursday’s clock management fiasco was the final straw. The Bears’ defense showed steady improvement under Eberflus’ watch and currently ranks ninth in points allowed per game. Unfortunately, the team never figured out its offensive identity, ranking 20th or worse in yards per game in each of the last three seasons. The hiring and firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in the same season was another indictment on Eberflus’ inability to get the right people in the building to propel the Bears in the right direction. Eberflus leaves with a 14-32 record while in the midst of a six-game losing streak. He was continually embarrassed in one-score games. Interim OC Thomas Brown will now take over as interim head coach for the remaining five weeks of the season as the team prepares for yet another head coaching search this offseason.

Firing Eberflus mid-season won’t turn around a season that has gone awry for the Bears since their bye week, but it’s a move that most feel could come at any time. Thursday’s clock management gaffe is just the latest in a number of indictments that have built against Eberflus’ coaching acumen over the years, and will be remembered as one of his more infamous moments when he is inevitably let go by the team. Firing Eberflus in mid-season would be more about sending a message than giving the team a tactical advantage over the final five weeks of the season, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if he remained with the team until season’s end.

It sure sounds like the upcoming evaluations that Eberflus is still conveniently “in the process” of as of his latest press briefing are going to be coaching-focused. Williams took nine sacks (9 sacks?) in Chicago’s Week 10 loss to the Patriots. Something has got to give. We’d be surprised if Shane Waldron saw more than another sunrise as Bears offensive play caller.

The Bears hired defensive coordinator Eric Washington earlier this offseason, but Washington won’t be handling play-calling duties to start the season. Eberflus has a defensive background and served as the Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021. He and Washington will look to help build on a defense that ranked 20th in points allowed and 12th in yards allowed per game.

After extensive meetings with Bears brass, Eberflus will stay onboard for at least one more season while offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was fired. The Bears are likely to move on from Justin Fields and use the first overall draft pick on a quarterback. Eberflus, 10-24 over his two seasons at the helm, will be coaching for his job next season.