The Chicago Bears devoted three years of their existence to Matt Eberflus as their head coach. It is three years that fans would love to forget, marked by long losing streaks, constant disciplinary issues, shoddy execution, and zero charisma. When he became the first Bears head coach ever to get fired midseason, the only surprise was that it took as long as it did. Eberflus had created one of the most dispirited and fractured locker rooms in franchise history, fueled by many bad decisions both on and off the field.
That is why it was genuinely shocking that the Dallas Cowboys hired him as their new defensive coordinator in 2025. While Eberflus did have a slightly better reputation at that job, it felt like a bold move to hire him after what had just gone down in Chicago. Sure enough, the Cowboys crashed to the worst defense in the league, ranking 32nd in points allowed and 30th overall. Based on how the players are talking, his dismissal this offseason was a welcome relief. Just look at what cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. had to say about his replacement, Christian Parker.
“It’s been a blessing for real. There’s been a lot of things that we do this year that we didn’t do last year. Cleaning up a lot of your techniques, a lot of things that you made mistakes on the day before. [Parker]’s very detailed or technical with his movement and what he wants us to do. Each day it’s nothing different, your approach is to get better each day.”
Matt Eberflus should thank his lucky stars for the Bears.
That may sound odd, but keep this in mind. Reports indicated that he was likely to get fired in 2022 by the Indianapolis Colts. However, Chicago came to the rescue when they interviewed and hired him for the head coaching job. That singular decision ended up giving him five more years in the NFL. He got the assistant head coaching position with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2026 season. Otherwise, he likely would’ve found himself back in college years ago. That is the kind of leeway you get as a former head coach.
At least Jerry Jones had the common sense to get rid of him quickly. That is the benefit of having owners involved in a team’s daily operations. Such has been the problem with the McCaskeys for decades. Though well-meaning as owners, their lack of football prowess and hands-off approach can have brutal consequences for the organization when the wrong people are put in charge. That is how Ryan Pace gets to pick two head coaches and two quarterbacks, and Matt Eberflus gets a third season.
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Chicago can thank him for one thing.
Eberflus being as bad as he was led to his firing in late 2024, which helped lay the groundwork for the Bears to land Ben Johnson. Imagine if Eberflus had merely been average. Good enough to produce a winning record in one of those three seasons, but not to make the playoffs. The McCaskeys almost certainly wouldn’t have fired him, preferring to give him more time to get the roster right. Meanwhile, another team would’ve hit the Johnson lottery, leaving Chicago stuck in purgatory.
In the end, everything happened as it should. The Bears finally get the head coach they’ve been desperate for. Eberflus goes to a winning organization where he’ll have little real power and collect a nice paycheck every month. It would be stunning if another team ever gave him another crack at defensive coordinator at this level. It has become clear that the modern NFL has passed him by. He doesn’t have the creativity or flexibility to handle what offenses are doing now.
