Matt Eberflus, 49ers Reportedly Agree to Contract on Kyle Shanahan's Staff After Cowboys Firing

Former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is reportedly joining the San Francisco 49ers as part of their defensive coaching staff in 2026.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the 49ers hired Eberflus on Thursday to be their new assistant head coach of defense, replacing Gus Bradley, who left to become the Tennessee Titans' defensive coordinator.

Eberflus served as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator last season after parts of three seasons as the Bears' head coach, but the Cowboys fired him after only one year on the job.

Before his stint as head coach of the Bears, Eberflus was the Indianapolis Colts' DC from 2018 to 2021.

The 55-year-old Eberflus led the Colts to finishes of 16th or better in total defense and 18th or better in scoring defense in each of his four seasons as the defensive coordinator in Indy.

His best performance came in 2020 when the Colts were a top-10 defense, ranking eighth in total defense and 10th in scoring defense.

Success has largely eluded Eberflus since then, though, as neither his stint in Chicago nor his time in Dallas went particularly well.

Eberflus went just 14-32 as the Bears' head coach before getting fired 12 games into his third season in that role.

Despite his defensive background, that unit struggled mightily while Eberflus was head coach. Chicago ranked 29th in total defense and 32nd in scoring defense in 2022, and 27th in total defense in 2024.

Even so, Eberflus received another defensive coordinator opportunity in Dallas, as the Cowboys fired Mike Zimmer after one season in that role, as they ranked 28th in total defense and 31st in scoring defense in 2024.

Things got even worse under Eberflus last season with Dallas ranking 30th in total yardage allowed and 32nd in total points allowed. That contributed heavily to the Cowboys missing the playoffs with a 7-9-1 record.

Eberflus was out of a job again after only one year in Dallas, but he now lands in a potentially great situation in San Francisco under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The Niners have reached the playoffs in four of the past five seasons and five of the past seven. That includes last season when they went 12-5 despite dealing with significant injuries to several key players on defense.

San Francisco figures to be healthier on that side of the ball in 2026, and there is a chance for Eberflus to rebuild his stock for future defensive coordinator or head coaching opportunities.

With Bradley and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh gone from last year's staff, Eberflus is in line to be second on the defensive chain of command in San Francisco behind only new DC Raheem Morris.