The Chicago Bears followed their hiring of Shane Waldron as new offensive coordinator a few days later with the arrival of Eric Washington as defensive coordinator. He’d spent the past four seasons with the Buffalo Bills as their defensive line coach. Matt Eberflus’ interest in him wasn’t hard to understand. Washington got his first major gig in the NFL as defensive line coach for the Bears in 2008. He spent three seasons on the job, learning under Lovie Smith and Eberflus’ mentor, Rod Marinelli. That connection is undoubtedly a huge reason the Bears looked to bring him back.
Washington understands the requirements of this Tampa-2-style scheme. Eberflus will have wanted somebody he can trust to coach things the right way, maintaining the correct standard and never cutting corners. The obvious question is whether he can take the defense up another level. One person who knows the answer to that better than anybody is Ron Rivera. The former head coach worked with Washington for nine seasons in Carolina. During that time, the two built a regular playoff contender headlined by consistently good defenses.
Rivera went on Waddle & Silvy of ESPN 1000 to talk about the hiring. In his mind, it was an A+ move from every angle.
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Eric Washington strengthens the Bears right where they need it.
Ask anybody with a modicum of NFL expertise and they will tell you the same. If you run a 4-3 defensive alignment like the Tampa-2, everything hinges on the defensive line. For the scheme to work, the front four must be able to pressure the quarterback by themselves. Go back through recent history at the best versions of that defense and you’ll find a common trend.
- 1993 Vikings: 41 DL sacks
- 2001 Rams: 37.5 DL sacks
- 2002 Buccaneers: 36 DL sacks
- 2005 Colts: 41.5 DL sacks
- 2012 Bears: 38 DL sacks
- 2021 Bills: 31.5 DL sacks
Eric Washington was part of that last one, while his mentors Smith and Marinelli were involved in two others. His knack for coaching up the defensive line has been consistent for over a decade. He’s produced at least one 10-sack rusher in Chicago, Carolina, and Buffalo. His best work might be with the defensive tackle position as Kawann Short and Ed Oliver each produced dominant seasons of at least nine or more sacks. Rivera is correct. This man is the exact person they need to get this defense to where it needs to be.
