Bear Digest

Former Bears head coach has been fired again

After two firings in two consecutive seasons, this coach's NFL career is taking a nosedive.
Pete Martuneac|
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Chicago Bears

The NFL is a cold world that's driven entirely by results, especially for coaches. That probably explains why the Dallas Cowboys have fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the former head coach of the Chicago Bears, after just one season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Cowboys' defense was simply never competitive, and it held back one of the league's best offenses from a playoff berth.

During the 2024 season, the Bears made history when they fired Matt Eberflus one day after losing to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, the first time in the franchise's 105-year history that they ever fired a head coach midseason.

Former Bears coaches are taking divergent NFL paths

At Eberflus' age (he will turn 56-years-old in May), getting fired in two consecutive seasons could very well spell the end for his coaching career in the NFL. At least, he won't be a serious candidate for a head coaching job again. There's just too much evidence that his defensive scheme doesn't work in the modern NFL, and I can't imagine a team taking a chance on him for anything more than a defensive assistant role.

At the same time, however, another former head coach of the Bears is seeing his fortunes on the rise. Matt Nagy, now the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, will interview with the Tennessee Titans for their head coach opening on Thursday. In fact, Nagy is seen as one of the top head coaching candidates in a year without a 'slam dunk' type of candidate, like Ben Johnson. Unlike Eberflus, Nagy has at least one good season on his resume, having won the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2018. He's also an offensive coach, which is considered a priority in the modern NFL over defensive coaches.

Matt Nag
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Bears finally have their head coach figured out

Hearing all these different reports about former head coaches has to have Bears fans feeling pretty good about where they stand with Ben Johnson. Of course, Johnson's first season is eerily similar to Nagy's 2018 season, but what he's built feels far more sustainable than what Nagy built. Plus, the Bears actually have the right quarterback this time around.

Johnson has all the looks of the head coach that Chicago has been looking for since Mike Ditka, and on Saturday, he has the chance to take the Bears one step closer to the Promised Land.

Ben Johnso
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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