Matt Eberflus has five games left to save his job. A lot of people think he is already gone. Too many things are working against him, from the losses to the locker room drama and the 4th quarter collapses. A few wins down the stretch might save him, but that seems to be asking a lot. Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren may have changes in mind, and the head coach is one of the biggest.
Presuming Eberflus is out, there are several candidates the Bears could choose from to replace him. While that job alone is vital, everybody knows a head coach is only as good as his staff. So here is a look at the most prominent candidates out there and the lieutenants they might be able to bring in.
Harbaugh and Roman worked together in San Francisco, turning the team into a juggernaut. Roman has his critics, but nobody can dispute his ability to maximize dual-threat quarterbacks. Colin Kaepernick and Lamar Jackson played high-level football under his watch. Justin Fields could probably do the same. Evero was another assistant under Harbaugh with the 49ers. He went on to help the Rams won’t the Super Bowl in 2021 and has become one of the hottest defensive coordinators over the past two years. His Broncos defense last year was 7th in total yards. Now his Panthers defense is 6th.
Since Johnson will be calling the plays, his offensive coordinator must be organized and an ally to the quarterback. Brunell went to multiple Pro Bowls as a QB in Jacksonville. He’s been the Lions’ quarterbacks coach in Detroit. Following Johnson to Chicago would make logical sense. Wash worked in Detroit for two years alongside Johnson in 2021 and 2022. Now he’s in Carolina as their defensive line coach. People forget his run as Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator, where he produced a top 10 unit three years in a row, helping them to the AFC championship in 2017.
Bieniemy was an assistant to Bevell for years in Minnesota. Both eventually went on to win Super Bowls as offensive coordinators. Both have the ability to call plays. Their years of experience would be an immediate asset for whichever quarterback they decided to go with. Rivera appears to be on his way out as head coach in Washington. While unfortunate for him, he’ll have plenty of jobs as a defensive coordinator waiting for him. He produced a top-5 unit three times in five years between the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers before embarking on his head coaching run in Carolina.
Johnson is one of the youngest options available, so it’s not a surprise his list of connections might be smaller than others. Patullo has worked with him in Philadelphia for the past couple of years and has a strong record with both quarterbacks and wide receivers. That familiarity would work best. Defensive coordinator is tougher. Grantham worked with Johnson at Mississippi State. He’s the only one with NFL coordinating experience, having spent three years in Cleveland. A young offensive coach would be wise to lean on a seasoned defensive coordinator. Grantham is certainly that.
Nussmeier has plenty of coordinating experience from his time in college. He won a national championship with Alabama in 2012. He and Moore have spent years together, dating back to 2019 with the Dallas Cowboys. It is a partnership that has yielded positive results—no reason to break it up here. Staley has done everything he can to save his job in Los Angeles, but most believe he will be fired as head coach. It won’t take long for him to get a coordinator job. His lone year on it with the Rams resulted in the #1 defense in the league. Moore would be foolish not to bring him back to Chicago, where he has a history.
C.J. Stroud is playing at a Pro Bowl level as a rookie. Slowik deserves tons of credit for that. Day is an NFL assistant with loads of experience. His track record is strong, going back over a decade. He even spent some time in Chicago working with Jay Cutler in what were arguably his two most effective seasons. Bettcher has five years of coordinating experience between Arizona and New York. He produced a top-10 unit three times and has a reputation for crafting units that force lots of takeaways. That would feed into an offensive coach’s plan perfectly.
