According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the San Francisco 49ers have reportedly hired Matt Eberflus to serve as the team's new assistant head coach of defense.
He will assist new 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris in improving a defense that struggled with consistency in 2025.
The 49ers have hired Matt Eberflus as their assistant head coach of defense, per sources.
Eberflus — the former Bears head coach and most recently Cowboys defensive coordinator — fills a key role vacated when Gus Bradley left for Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/x58ngjOc5r
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 5, 2026
Eberflus brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to San Francisco. He began his coaching career in the college ranks at the University of Toledo, where he had previously been a standout linebacker during his playing days, before later coaching at the University of Missouri.
He entered the NFL in 2009 as a linebackers coach with the Cleveland Browns and later held the same role with the Dallas Cowboys beginning in 2011. In 2017, Dallas added passing game coordinator to his responsibilities.
Eberflus became the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts in 2018. He later served as head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2022 through 2024.
Most recently, Eberflus returned to the Cowboys as their defensive coordinator in 2025 before now joining the 49ers' coaching staff.