Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will be a popular name in the head coaching circles again when the 2021 season arrives.
As the Colts have built a strong defense that gives maximum effort on every play, Eberflus has been there leading the charge when it comes to honing the mentality of the unit.
Going through potential 2022 head coach candidates, Pro Football Network listed Eberflus as one of the top candidates to keep an eye on.
“Eberflus should be viewed as one of the top head coach candidates heading into 2021. The Colts hired away Eberflus from the Cowboys after the 2017 season. Indianapolis’ defense in 2017 ranked 27th in efficiency. Since then, they’ve landed in the top-10 two out of the past three seasons under Eberflus. How has Dallas’ defense looked the past two years?
Eberflus has shown the ability to adapt his scheme for the roster around him. At 51 years old, it’s soon time for him to take the next step. Eberflus has coached for my entire lifetime of 28 years. He began as a student assistant coach for Toledo in 1992. Eberflus had long stints there and at Missouri. He was then briefly employed by the Browns for two seasons in 2009 and 2010. He was with the Cowboys from 2011 until 2018, when he got his first gig as a defensive coordinator at the NFL level.
The crazy thing about Eberflus as a coach is he’s never failed down. He went from college coordinator to NFL linebacker coach, but that hardly seems like a demotion. He’s also been outrageously stable, only calling five spots home in his nearly 30 seasons coaching.”
For the last few offseasons, Eberflus has been a candidate. Following the 2018 season, the Cleveland Browns brought him for an interview but wound up going with Kevin Stefanski.
Then in 2020, Eberflus had several interviews. He had interviews with the New York Jets, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers during the offseason, but all three decided to go in other directions.
On the other side of the ball, former offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni interviewed and was hired for the head coaching role with the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the Colts defense continues to make strides as one of the better units in the league, it won’t be long until Eberflus finds himself leading a team as a head coach.
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