As one of the more in-demand names in the 2022 NFL head coaching cycle, Matt Eberflus is set to be hired as the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. Currently the Colts defensive coordinator, Eberflus will replace former Bears head coach Matt Nagy. Let’s get to know one of the most respected defensive coaches in the NFL.
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Get to know NFL head coach candidate Matt Eberflus
Eberflus, 51, has been a man in demand. He met with the Bears about their opening on Monday. In 2021, he was a candidate for the Jets job, which went to Robert Saleh, and the Chargers job, which went to Brandon Staley.
Eberflus’ football background
If you can’t stop the run, Eberflus has been Mr. Fix-it. Since he took over for Ted Monachino after the 2017 season, the Colts haven’t been outside the top 10 once.
That’s fitting of a former collegiate linebacker who started three years at Toledo more than three decades ago. Eberflus remained in North Ohio after graduation, spending nearly a decade on Toledo’s coaching staff as an assistant.
After an eight-year run as Missouri’s defensive coordinator, Eberflus made the jump to the NFL. He served as a linebackers coach for the Browns and Cowboys for much of the 2010s before joining the Colts’ staff in Indianapolis.
Eberflus thought he’d be working under Josh McDaniels when he took the Indianapolis job but stayed on after McDaniels backed out and the team hired Frank Reich. He has worked with some of the NFL’s best offensive minds of the 21st century, including Rod Marinelli and Monte Kiffin.
How Eberflus performed in 2021
Eberflus’ 4-3 scheme was the perfect showcase for star outside linebacker Darius Leonard, who has been a first-team All-Pro three of his first four years in the league. That includes in 2021, when he logged 122 tackles and 4 interceptions for the NFL’s No. 2 ranked run defense. The Colts’ 33 takeaways were second only to the Dallas Cowboys.
What they’re saying about Eberflus
“Obviously, he [is] a great candidate to be a head coach. I think the world of Matt as a coach, as a person, as a defensive coordinator. … I’ve just seen Flus continue to grow and develop in that role as well, really connecting with players, making a conscious effort every week to put our players in the best position possible.” — Colts coach Frank Reich in March 2021