Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus says the team will be adding to its defensive staff soon, but he ruled out former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli as an option.
The Bears have been without a DC since ex-defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned after the team’s Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and while Eberflus will remain the defensive play-caller, the Bears coach revealed that the team was looking to bring in someone to help him prepare for future opponents. When asked if Marinelli, who is close friends with the Bears coach, could be an option, Eberflus said no.
“He’s very comfortable in retirement,” Eberflus said on October 9. “He’s out in Vegas right now. We talk weekly though for sure.”
With Marinelli ruled out, Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports named former Bears legend Charles “Peanut” Tillman as one of four names to watch, along with former Bears head coach Lovie Smith, former Bears player and ex-Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Eberflus’s former linebackers coach at Toledo, Gary Pinkel.
Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman Remains Fan Favorite But Is Long Shot for the Job
#Bears legend Peanut Tillman talking to the new era Bears squad.
Tillman, 42, spent 12 seasons as a defensive back with the Bears (2003-2014), making the Pro Bowl twice and getting named a first-team All-Pro in 2012. He played a lone season with the Carolina Panthers in 2015, and retired from the NFL the following year. He started 152 games for Chicago, amassing 36 interceptions, 133 pass breakups, eight defensive touchdowns and 42 forced fumbles using a technique now known around the league as the “Peanut Punch.”
Since Eberflus was hired in 2022, the Bears coach has asked Tillman to speak with his players to educate them on various topics, so there’s a relationship and mutual respect there.
“Tillman is one of the best cornerbacks to play in the style that Eberflus wants, and his Peanut Punch changed the way defenders play the ball,” Shapiro wrote, adding:
“We also know that Eberflus loves Tillman, and has had Tillman speak in front of the team twice. Who better to come in with fresh ideas to help? The problem is the last we heard Tillman was still working for the FBI. In addition, Tillman has no coaching experience. It’s unclear whether Tillman’s lengthy playing career suffices for the type of experience Eberflus is looking for in a ‘senior defensive analyst’ role, but he may want someone who’s got some level of familiarity working as a coach.”
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus on having Charles Tillman talk to the rookies this morning: “What a great message, what a great story, what a great Bear.”
Matt Eberflus Details What He’s Looking For in Senior Defensive Analyst Role
According to Eberflus, coaching experience could be a valuable asset for the position.
“Relative to the position on defense we’re looking at right now — that position, really, for me is more of an analyst, more of a senior defensive analyst — that would do advanced work for us on the upcoming opponent, would give us ideas, how to attack that upcoming opponent, just to get another set of eyes for advancing for us in that,” Eberflus said, noting he and the team would be making a decision about who would fill the role soon.
“I don’t have names (or) a timetable for that at this time, but that will be coming shortly,” the Bears coach added. “I think it’s important to get the right guy, but certainly experience helps when you’re looking at that position — someone that’s been in a lot in the league a while, or has been in the league, but also knows your defense a little bit too.”
Tillman has never coached before, but he does have experience in the same Cover 2 scheme Eberflus uses on defense, as the former corner played under both Smith and Marinelli. Peanut would be a surprising yet intriguing addition, but someone like Smith, who has loads more experience while also being beloved in Chicago, is the more likely choice. Stay tuned.
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Matt Eberflus Rules Out Familiar Face as Potential Hire; Bears Legend Named an Option