The 49ers are hiring former Bears coach Matt Eberflus as a defensive assistant, AP source says

By Canadian Press on March 5, 2026.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as a defensive assistant on coach Kyle Shanahan’s staff.

A person familiar with the deal said Thursday that Eberflus will join the defensive staff under coordinator Raheem Morris. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the hiring.

Eberflus does not yet have an official title but is expected to fill a similar role to the one held last season by Gus Bradley. Robert Saleh took Bradley as his defensive coordinator in Tennessee after being hired as head coach following a one-year stint as defensive coordinator in San Francisco.

Eberflus has spent 17 seasons in the NFL as a head coach and defensive assistant, having spent last season as the coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. He was fired after one season as the Cowboys allowed the most points and intercepted the fewest passes in franchise history.

Eberflus had spent two-plus seasons before that as head coach for the Bears before getting fired with a 14-32 record midway through the 2024 campaign.

Eberflus had a four-year run before that as defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts and has extensive experience coaching linebackers in the NFL.

The hiring of Eberflus is a signal that the 49ers are not planning any major defensive overhauls in the switch from Saleh to Morris. Eberflus is well-versed in defenses that run four-man fronts and play mostly zone coverage like San Francisco has typically done in nine seasons with Shanahan as head coach.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Josh Dubow, The Associated Press

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