New Bears coach Matt Eberflus: What we know, what’s next and what it means for Justin Fields (2024)

Matt Eberflus will be the 17th head coach in Bears history, and the franchise is going down a path it hasn’t since Lovie Smith — selecting a defensive coordinator as their first-time head coach.

Eberflus, 51, spent the past four seasons as the Colts’ defensive coordinator, where his defenses have consistently been near the top of the league in takeaways.

Before his time in Indianapolis, Eberflus was the linebackers coach for the Cowboys, which followed two seasons coaching linebackers in Cleveland.

A linebacker for the Toledo Rockets, Eberflus coached at his alma mater under Gary Pinkel, and then went with Pinkel to Missouri, where Eberflus was defensive coordinator for eight seasons before making the leap to the NFL.

New Bears general manager Ryan Poles interviewed Eberflus, along with Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell, in person at Halas Hall.

Why should Bears fans be excited about Eberflus?

Jahns: Well, if you’re a fan who wanted your favorite team to hire Chris Ballard in 2015, then you should be happy to know that Ballard went to bat for Eberflus in this head-coaching cycle. And if you respect what Rod Marinelli did as the Bears’ former defensive coordinator under Smith, then you’d be pleased to hear that Eberflus considers him one of his mentors. Eberflus’ ability to win over Colts coach Frank Reich is noteworthy, too. Eberflus was actually hired to be part of Josh McDaniels’ staff in Indianapolis before McDaniels bailed on the Colts and stuck with the Patriots. “I would fully endorse and support anyone who ever called and asked me about Flus as a man and as a leader and as a coach,” Reich said. The results speak for themselves. In Football Outsiders’ advanced DVOA metric, the Colts defense ranked 11th, seventh, seventh and eighth over the past four seasons with Eberflus.

Fishbain: I think there’s something to be said about the Bears getting an identity that might better fit their makeup. It worked pretty well with Smith. It’s a bit on the meathead spectrum and gets into buzzword territory when you talk about “culture,” but the way Eberflus coaches defense is something that can reflect an entire franchise — we saw it in Chicago with Smith. The Colts have been one of the most efficient defenses under Eberflus and outstanding at taking the ball away. They ranked second in 2021 with 33 takeaways — the Bears had 16. In 2020, the Colts had 25 takeaways — the Bears had 18. Yes, takeaways need luck, but there’s also a way to instill a vision that translates to making impact plays on the field. Eberflus has also been in a leadership role for a long time, running Missouri’s defense for eight years and then the past four years with the Colts. His decade-plus in the NFL should give him enough connections, too, as he fills out his staff.

Will Matt Eberflus be a name for Bears fans to remember? Or one to forget? And will my “Eber-Floozies” nickname for Bears fans stick? https://t.co/M802rz5yRs

— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) January 27, 2022

What concerns come with the hiring?

Fishbain: Well, can we trust any decision the Bears make? That’s nothing against Eberflus, but it’s fair to take a cynical point of view, especially when we’re talking about a first-time head coach. The Bears hope Eberflus can be the answer — it worked with Smith when he was hired as a first-time head coach in 2004. The obvious concern, though, is he’s not an offensive guy, and in today’s NFL, that tends to be a pretty good strategy. Keeping with the Smith comparison, the Bears aren’t going to want to cycle through offensive coordinators and offensive philosophies year after year. Defense hasn’t been the issue for the Bears for the past century, it’s scoring more points. However, we saw with the last head coach that even someone who checks the boxes (aggressive, quarterback, etc.) doesn’t mean it will work, either.

Jahns: Eberflus is the 17th coach in Bears history, but he’s also the fifth of the George McCaskey era, which started in 2011. That alone drives skepticism. The process of hiring Eberflus was condensed. Before Poles was officially hired, Eberflus was scheduled to meet with the Bears on Wednesday. Poles obviously was high on Eberflus from the beginning. It surely came up in his first interview with the Bears on Jan. 21, but the team’s search committee already was high on Eberflus. He was first interviewed on Jan. 17. Two days later, the Bears asked for a second interview with him. Then came this week. Poles arrived in Chicago on Monday. He was hired on Tuesday morning, interviewed Jim Caldwell that afternoon and added Dan Quinn to his interview list for Wednesday. Poles interviewed Eberflus Wednesday morning and Quinn in the afternoon. On Thursday morning, Poles picked Eberflus.

What do you want to know about his plan on offense? Justin Fields?

Jahns: This is where it gets interesting. Dan Quinn’s first offensive staff in Atlanta was impressive: offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (current 49ers coach), quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur (current Packers coach), Mike LaFleur (current Jets offensive coordinator) and offensive assistant Mike McDaniel (current 49ers offensive coordinator). It partly made Quinn an intriguing candidate for all teams. It’s safe to assume Poles liked what he heard from Eberflus regarding his plan for the offense and Fields. An early name floated by NFL Network was Kevin Patullo, the Eagles’ passing game coordinator. Patullo was the Colts’ receivers coach (2018-19) and passing game specialist (2020) before joining Philadelphia and coach Nick Sirianni, who was previously the Colts’ offensive coordinator. Poles should be able to help Eberflus, too. One name to potentially watch because of Poles’ connections is Chiefs quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Mike Kafka, who is considered another rising star in the league. He’s from Chicago and played at Northwestern.

Fishbain: The defensive coach might get more questions about offense at his introductory news conference. Does he want to have the type of offense that other defensive-minded head coaches tend to favor, which is a ball-control offense with a strong rushing attack? That worked for the Colts last season and has worked for the Bears in the past, but is that what’s best for Justin Fields? Eberflus worked with Scott Linehan for four years in Dallas, but he would probably instill more confidence by trying to find the next great play caller, as Jahns mentioned. Yes, that could mean either hiring someone who ultimately isn’t ready, or getting someone who is so good, they leave soon after, sending the Bears back into the same cycle, but that’s what happens in these situations. I think the Bears would take that if it meant an improved offense, and what’s best for Fields.

Why not Dan Quinn or Jim Caldwell?

Fishbain: We knew that Eberflus had a strong first interview with the Bears’ search committee when he earned a second interview before a GM was hired. He clearly continued that when he met with Poles, and it’s not like the Bears were alone in their affinity for Eberflus. Quinn and Caldwell had the head-coaching experience, and either would have been a fine hire, so the hope would be that Eberflus and Poles had the most aligned plan for the Bears. Quinn’s decision to return to Dallas is noteworthy, and we’ll probably never know exactly why it didn’t work out with him in Chicago. Could Caldwell be an option to join the staff as a top assistant?

Jahns: The last person to interview is typically the most interesting one, and among the Bears’ three finalists, that was Quinn. He also wasn’t added to the team’s in-person interview list until after Poles officially became the Bears’ GM. That’s different than Caldwell, who was essentially in Halas Hall waiting for Poles after Poles’ own interview and hiring process with the team concluded. Quinn was more sought-after than Eberflus. There’s no debating that. Six teams requested interviews with Quinn. He was considered a finalist for Giants and Broncos jobs, too. It was easy to view him as a favorite for the Bears and other teams. But you never know how the interviews will go. The NFL Network reported Thursday morning that Quinn told teams he was returning to Dallas. So maybe he wasn’t going to get what he wanted on the market this year, whether it’s more years or the roster control. Hours before the Bears picked Eberflus, the Broncos hired Packers offensive coordinator Nathanial Hackett to be their head coach, too.

What do we make of the Poles/Eberflus combo? Was this truly the new GM’s call?

Jahns: When you hire an adviser — especially one with the resume that Bill Polian has — it’s easy to contend that things were moving in Eberflus’ direction from the start. That Eberflus was set to get a second interview before Poles was even interviewed should raise some eyebrows, too. But don’t dismiss all of Poles’ connections to Eberflus, either. My understanding is that McCaskey, Polian and team president Ted Phillips stayed out of all of the final interviews and that hiring Eberfus was 100 percent Poles’ decision. The skeptic would argue that the Bears would say that’s the case. But sources said that Polian also hasn’t been at Halas Hall.

Fishbain: The hope is that the Bears’ search committee asked each GM candidate for head coaches they’d like to hire, and while they liked Eberflus themselves, he was someone they knew was on Poles’ list. Then when Poles got to take over the search himself, a connection was formed and he decided on his own that Eberflus was the best head coach for the Bears. Of course, with this franchise, it’s rarely that straightforward, so it’s fine to be skeptical. For now, the Bears have a first-time GM and a first-time head coach. Whether or not that will work is anybody’s guess, but what matters now is that they are in sync with their plan for the organization. We could see that connection come through in the form of a defensive coach, perhaps. Colts linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi is the brother of Chiefs executive Mike Borgonzi, who has worked with Poles dating to their days at Boston College.

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