Former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus saw his first foray into the top job end in relative disaster midway through last season, but it appears he has already landed on his feet.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported on Monday, January 27, that NFL insiders expect the Dallas Cowboys to hire Eberflus as their new offensive coordinator before the day is out.
“Former [Bears] coach Matt Eberflus is headed to Dallas today for an interview, and as long as all goes well, he’s expected to be named the [Cowboys] defensive coordinator, per sources,” Pelissero wrote. “A big hire for new coach Brian Schottenheimer that should be finalized soon.”
Chicago replaced Eberflus with former offensive coordinator Thomas Brown on an interim basis, who began the 2024 campaign as the team’s pass game coordinator. The front office came to that conclusion following Chicago’s last-second loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.
The Bears have since moved on from Brown, hiring former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the new head coach.
Bears Fell Apart Under Matt Eberflus After Solid Start
GettyFormer head coach of the Chicago Bears Matt Eberflus.
Eberflus had a promising start to the season, as Chicago went 4-2 across its first six games with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams under center.
However, mismanagement by the coaching staff and poor play on the field led the Bears to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against the Washington Commanders in Chicago’s seventh game of the season. The Commanders, who would go on to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game, completed a Hail Mary pass as time expired to beat the Bears 18-15.
The defeat was the beginning of a 10-game losing streak for Chicago that didn’t end until a field goal sailed through the uprights as time expired in Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers. It was also the beginning of the end for Eberflus as the Bears’ head coach.
He remained at the helm for the next five contests, all of them losses and the majority of those by one score. However, more late-game coaching mistakes and a perceived (if not real) lack of accountability on Eberflus’s part for his errors led the former head coach to lose the locker room. Shortly after he lost his job and will now try to reset in Dallas in a more familiar role.
Thomas Brown Has Joined New England Patriots Staff
GettyFormer Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown.
Like Eberflus, Brown is starting a new job with a new franchise this offseason — the New England Patriots.
“Thomas Brown, the former [Bears] interim head coach, will serve as a tight ends coach and passing game coordinator under Mike Vrabel,” Windy City Gridiron wrote on X.
Brown’s role with the Patriots constitutes his fourth new job title in a year after the multiple firings in Chicago elevated him multiple times during the 2024 campaign. Brown interviewed with the Bears for the permanent head coaching position, though his experience compared to several of the other candidates, including Johnson, was considerably less.
Former Bears Coach Matt Eberflus Poised to Land Job With Storied NFC Rival