Chicago Bears hire Indianapolis Colts DC Matt Eberflus as head coach

The Chicago Bears have hired Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as their head coach, the team introduced Thursday night.

Eberflus, 51, also was viewed as a applicant for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head-coaching emptiness. He will sign up for new common supervisor Ryan Poles in taking over a Bears group that went 6-11 in 2021 less than Matt Nagy and has missed the playoffs in 9 of the earlier 11 seasons.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Matt develop into the future head mentor of the Chicago Bears,” mentioned Poles, whom the Bears employed Tuesday. “His expertise, enthusiasm, character and consideration to detail designed him the appropriate man for the two the work and the society we intend to establish here at Halas Hall. Throughout the lookup, Matt amazed me when detailing his vision and approach for our crew. We glance ahead to obtaining to do the job and assembling a major-notch team and roster that will aid us continually compete for championships.”

Chicago also interviewed Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and previous Colts and Lions head mentor Jim Caldwell for the occupation.

Eberflus has invested the earlier 4 seasons as the Colts’ defensive coordinator less than mentor Frank Reich. His defenses completed in the major 10 in scoring 3 moments, which includes being tied for ninth in 2021 at 21.5 details per sport.

Eberflus inherits a Bears staff that ranked sixth in the NFL in total defense in 2021 but struggled offensively and endured instability at quarterback, the place Andy Dalton alternated as the starter with rookie Justin Fields.

The first major question for Eberflus in Chicago will be choosing an offensive coordinator, since a huge part of the position for the new coach and GM will be solidifying the quarterback position that has haunted the founding NFL franchise for many years.

The Bears do not have a initial-spherical draft select in 2022 mainly because they traded that range to the New York Giants to pick out Fields, who confirmed flashes of potential as a passer and as a runner but completed with just seven landing passes and 10 interceptions. Chicago went 2-8 in the 10 game titles Fields started this earlier time.

The Bears created two postseason appearances in their four decades below Nagy but previous received a playoff activity in 2010. They are 1-3 in the postseason given that showing up in Super Bowl XLI immediately after the 2006 year, a match the Colts received.

“I would like to thank Ryan and the McCaskey spouse and children for this once-in-a-life time opportunity to lead the Chicago Bears, 1 of the most storied franchises in all of sports activities in a person of the best cities in the environment,” Eberflus claimed. “I am definitely humbled and honored to be named your head mentor and collectively we will do anything in our electric power to provide a Tremendous Bowl championship again to Chicago.”

Eberflus, a previous linebacker at the College of Toledo who began his coaching career at his alma mater and hometown school, also interviewed for head-coaching positions previous 12 months after his third period with Indianapolis, in which he made a track record for demanding relentless effort and hard work out of his players.

Eberflus’ significant requirements incorporated counting “loafs” — a phrase former Bears mentor Lovie Smith also utilised in his Tampa 2 protection. Eberflus refined his design and terminology throughout a seven-calendar year stint in Dallas, the place he labored with Rod Marinelli, who, like Smith, arrived from the coaching tree of Hall of Famer Tony Dungy.

Now Eberflus is the second coordinator to go away Indianapolis in two seasons.

Last 12 months, the Philadelphia Eagles loaded their head-coaching vacancy with Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, who took a handful of Colts assistants with him.

Eberflus is expected to provide Colts linebackers mentor Dave Borgonzi with him to Chicago, a supply instructed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

When Eberflus commenced his coaching occupation at Toledo in 1992, he invested 9 yrs with the Rockets as a college student assistant, grad assistant, exterior linebackers and defensive backs coach. He expended the future eight seasons as Missouri’s defensive coordinator (2001-08) just before producing the leap to the NFL, wherever he coached linebackers in Cleveland (2009-10) and Dallas (2011-17) in advance of joining the Colts in advance of the 2018 period.

In Eberflus’ very first season in Indianapolis, the Colts enhanced from 30th to 10th in scoring protection, from 30th to 11th in overall protection and from 26th to eighth in rush protection.

The Linked Press contributed to this report.