The Chicago Bears overhauled most of their offensive staff over the past two weeks. However, this should not overshadow an important move they made on the defensive side. After spending months without a defensive coordinator following the resignation of Alan Williams, head coach Matt Eberflus finally found his replacement. It ended up being former Buffalo Bills defensive line coach Eric Washington. Before embarking on a stellar run in Carolina and Buffalo, the veteran assistant broke into the NFL with the Bears in 2008. He was a big part of their run to the NFC championship in 2010.
Few people understand what he brings to the table better than Greg Gabriel. The former Bears scouting director worked closely with Washinton for those three years. In that time, he quickly developed a healthy respect for how good of a coach the man is. In his mind, the organization couldn’t have made a better hire. He explained why in a column for Windy City Gridiron.
It comes down to him likely enhancing the team’s most important position group.
“Having worked with Eric for three years here in Chicago, I know exactly how good a coach he is. He’s very smart and an excellent teacher, is highly respected by his players, and does an outstanding job holding them accountable. At least for his first year as Coordinator, Eric will not call the defensive plays as Head Coach Matt Eberflus will continue in that role, but he will have a huge role in developing the game plan each week. Buffalo ran a more aggressive defense than the Bears, with multiple blitzes, so it will be interesting to see if the Bears do something similar next fall. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Eric working with the DLine during individual periods, as that is his strong point as a coach.”
Eric Washington is perfect for this defense.
Anybody who has done research on the Tampa-2 defense, or any 4-3 alignment for that matter, understands everything runs through the defensive line. The scheme is dependent on the front four being able to apply pressure on the quarterback by themselves. When they succeed, everything else works to perfection. It allows Eberflus to drop everybody else into coverage, making it far more difficult for the quarterback to find throwing windows. This often leads to punts or, more preferably, turnovers.
Few know this better than Eric Washington. He has served in variations of the 4-3 defense for his entire NFL career. It has involved some excellent versions, such as the 2010 Bears, 2013 Panthers, 2015 Panthers, 2019 Bills, and 2021 Bills. All had the same thing in common. The front four was adept at getting heat on the quarterback. That is what Washington aims to do in Chicago. He’ll have some excellent pieces to work with, including Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, and DeMarcus Walker. If the Bears can add one more blue-chip talent to the mix, this defense could get dangerous really fast.
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