Jacksonville plans to interview several names to replace Urban Meyer as head coach, but almost all of them have one thing in common: They’re offensive-minded coaches. This is understandable, as the Jaguars have a generational talent at quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, but the previous staff couldn’t take advantage of that during his rookie year.
His development should be the franchise’s top priority, and the best way to ensure that the new coach will help in that regard is to hire one with offensive experience. However, one candidate stands apart from the rest in Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. He’s the only defense-first candidate the Jags plan to talk to right now, and though it may not be the most attractive name on the list, there’s a lot to like about the 51-year-old coach, who plans to interview for the Jacksonville job on Saturday.
Here’s what you need to know about him.
Background
Eberflus has been the defensive coordinator for Indianapolis since 2018, and he carries with him a lot of experience. He’s been an NFL assistant in some capacity since 2009, working as a linebackers coach in Cleveland (2009-10) and Dallas (2011-17), being promoted to passing game coordinator in 2016 at the latter stop before he was hired by the Colts.
He also worked extensively at the college level, serving as an assistant at his alma mater, Toledo, from 1992-00, most recently working as the defensive backs coach. He followed head coach Gary Pinkel to Missouri, where he served as the defensive coordinator from 2001-08, his first defensive play-calling stop.
Eberflus left for the NFL following the 2008 season, where he has worked ever since. He has earned a reputation as one of the top assistants and defensive minds in football, and there’s a reason that the Jaguars aren’t the only team who has requested to interview him for a head coaching opening this cycle. He also had several interview requests last year but ended up staying in Indianapolis. However, he almost certainly has his sights set on being a head coach, and this could be the offseason where he takes that leap.
Why Eberflus could be a good choice?
There’s no denying the impulse to hire an offensive coach for Jacksonville. As mentioned above, nothing is more important than securing the development of Lawrence. Going for a defensive coach is certainly a riskier option with more room to backfire, especially considering the multitude of quality offensive coaches on the interview list.
But with that being said, there’s a reason Eberflus has asserted himself as one of the top coordinators in the game. He’s a fantastic defensive coach, and it’s not like that unit in Jacksonville doesn’t need work. Though it progressed during the season, it’s still a long way from where it needs to be.
Jags fans may not have the best impression of Eberflus’ defense, as they just watched Lawrence pick it apart for the best performance of his rookie season in an upset win that cost the Colts a playoff spot, but that shouldn’t detract from the way the unit has played most of the season. It ranked ninth in the league in scoring defense and 16th in total defense in 2021. That unit was even better in 2020, finishing 10th and eighth, respectively.
Hiring Eberflus would certainly make his offensive coordinator hire crucial, but you don’t necessarily have to hire an offensive head coach to put Lawrence in a system that will suit him. He doesn’t have the same hype as a candidate that options like Byron Leftwich, Kellen Moore or Doug Pederson do, but he’s a very talented coach that will find himself as a head coach sooner rather than later. If he’s the guy that owner Shad Khan ultimately targets, the team could do a lot worse.