Former Bears coach Matt Eberflus on track to become Bengals defensive coordinator

Believe it or not, but former Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus may not be out of work for long.

ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler posted Friday night on X that Eberflus is in the running to become the next defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a role that would be the perfect next job for ‘Flus.

The match between Eberflus and the Bengals is good because, let’s face it, It can’t be much worse on defense for Cincinnati. They finished in the top 10 or so in every major defensive category, so for a coach like Eberflus, who needs to rehabilitate his coaching reputation after three horrible years in Chicago, a job like the Bengals D should only increase his coaching stock.

The bad news for the Bengals, however, is that the Eberflus-led Bears defense was just as bad in 2024. Certainly, some of Chicago’s worst defensive performances came after Flus was firedbut he had been losing control of his group for several weeks before his dismissal.

Eberflus was hired by the Bears in 2022 because of his strong defensive resume and reputation as a solid teacher of schemes and concepts. And while the Bears looked like a potential top-10 defense at times under his watch, Eberflus never managed to get Chicago to consistently produce at that level.

If Matt Eberflus ends up with the Bengals, he will have the advantage of coaching a defense backed by one of the most potent offenses in the league. Cincinnati averaged nearly 29 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. Even if Eberflus is barely competent, it will be the difference between Cincinnati making the playoffs or, like this year, having an early offseason.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Chicago Bears on SI —