The San Francisco 49ers made a bit of a baffling hire, bringing in Matt Eberflus as an assistant head coach on the defensive side of the ball. Tom Pelissero reported the news on Thursday and it's... underwhelming, to say the least.
That being said, the Niners had to make changes on their defense when Robert Saleh accepted the Titans head coaching job and took Gus Bradley with him as his defensive coordinator. While the 49ers hired Raheem Morris, a proven DC during his time in the league, this Eberflus hire leaves a lot to be desired.
49ers hire Matt Eberflus as defensive assistant head coach
Eberflus was the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2022 to 2024 and went just 14-32 during that time. People thought maybe he was just one of those guys who worked better as a coordinator rather than a coach. That theory was debunked, however, when Eberflus returned to work as a defensive coordinator for the Cowboys last year and Dallas' defense looked downright putrid.
Fortunately, the Niners didn't give the entire defensive control to Eberflus but having him on board still isn't a great sign. Hopefully, Morris can continue this team's success on the defensive side of the ball.
The good news is that we've seen this unit thrive and what they did last year without some of their key players was hopefully a sign of what's to come. Morris has been successful in his previous defensive coordinator roles and even though Eberflus flamed out in Dallas last year, his run as the Colts DC from 2018 to 2021 shows that he has some solid insights.
Let's hope that the 49ers defense continues to be a strong unit in 2026 and that bringing Eberflus in doesn't completely tank that side of the ball.