Chicago Bears Make Decision on Head Coach

The Chicago Bears have hired Indianapolis Colts' defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as their next head coach. Eberflus replaces Matt Nagy, who had just one winning season in four years, and will be paired with new general manager Ryan Poles to lead Chicago for the foreseeable future.

Eberflus comes from the Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel coaching trees--having laid for both coaches at the University of Toledo in the early 1990s. After his college career was over, Eberflus joined Pinkel's staff at Toledo and went with him to Missouri in 2001.

The Cleveland Browns brought Eberflus to the NFL in 2009 as linebackers coach under Eric Mangini, tying him to the Bill Belichick tree as well. He moved on to Dallas in 2011 and stayed there until the 2018 offseason,, when Josh McDaniels brought him to INdy.

McDaniels, as just about everyone knows, changed his mind and stayed in New England, but Eberflus remained in the defensive coordinator position under Frank Reich.

Under Eberflus's guidance, the Colts' defense has blossomed. While the secondary could be playing better, the Inday run defense has been in the top 10 in the NFL during all four seasons and top 10 in scoring defense three times. Plus, they've developed several young defenders like Darius Leonard, Bobby Okereke, Anthony Walker (now in Cleveland), and Khari Willis.

Those developments should be no surprise to those who are familiar with Eberflus. Going all the way back to his Cleveland days, four of his positional players were in the team's top 10 in tackles, and Rolando McClain, Anthony Hitchens, and Jaylon Smith all had the best seasons of their careers under his guidance in Dallas.

In Chicago, he will walk into a situation with a great defense and questionable offense. That's what makes this a puzzling hire. The Bears' future hinges largely on the development of QB Justin Fields. That being said, it doesn't mean this hire can't work if they hire a good staff around him.