Matt Eberflus not calling defensive plays and is focusing on being a head coach at training camp
When the Chicago Bears hired Eric Washington as their new defensive coordinator, head coach Matt Eberflus stated that he would retain defensive play-calling duties. Based on Eberfuls’ comments from day three of Bears training camp, that could be changing.
Eberflus speaks to the media at Halas Hall
The 79th and Halas podcast reported on what Eberflus had to say during his post-camp interview on Monday. Eberflus talked about Caleb Williams’ performance, pre-snap penalties trending down, and defensive play calling at training camp.
Eberflus revealed that new Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington has been calling defensive plays during training camp. This is a big deal because Eberflus had previously said he would retain that responsibility in the 2024 season. The Bears’ defense played well in the second half of the season with Eberflus calling defensive plays.
That wasn’t surprising as Eberflus has been a defensive coach for most of his career.
Eberflus also noted that the team has bought into his HITS principle, which is an acronym standing for Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways and (playing) Smart. This is the essence of his philosophy as a coach. It sounds like the whole team is on the same page. Here is what Eberflus said on HITS and spreading the team philosophy.
We go through it every time. We go through it every time with the players, with the coaches, we start over from the beginning. Because we know we have turnover. And they have to understand how we operate.
What’s really cool is that the guys that were here for three years, two years, last year, They understand. And they can help coach those (new) guys and its a faster process than it was before because we have the in-house players now.
Watch Matt Eberflus’ full press conference from Monday below.
Why Eric Washington could end up calling defensive plays
Eric Washington has been an NFL coach for a while at this point. Washington has 16 years of NFL experience as a coach. He started out as a defensive assistant for the Bears from 2008-2009.
Washington was then promoted to defensive line coach in 2010. He spent the past four seasons with the Bills as defensive line coach, also serving as a senior defensive assistant (2022) and assistant head coach (2023). Between his stints with the Bears and Bills, Washington worked with the Panthers as defensive line coach (2011-17) and defensive coordinator (2018-19).
Eric Washington has plenty of NFL experience. He has also contributed to some of the NFL’s best defensive units. Here is an eye opening set of stats on Washington’s defenses from the Chicago Bears website:
As a defensive line coach from 2011-17, he led one of the most productive fronts in the NFL. Since 2012, no group of defensive linemen produced more sacks than Carolina’s 219, part of Carolina’s NFL-leading 280 total sacks. Carolina ranked in the top 10 in sacks in five of his seven seasons as defensive line coach, including a No. 1 ranking in 2013, a No. 2 in 2016 and a No. 3 in 2017.
Those are some impressive stats. Granted, the defenses Washington has overseen have had some very talented players. But so does this Bears defensive unit. Washington’s specialty is the pass rush, which the bears have vastly improved since the start of last season.
Takeaways
Eric Washington scripting sequences and calling plays during practice likely won’t spill over into the regular season. The new Bears coaching staff seems to be focused on cohesion. Swapping defensive play callers after the strong end to last season would be strange. Expect Matt Eberflus to retain defensive play calling duties in the regular season, unless something drastic happens.
Washington is a great option for defensive play calling duties if things get off to a rough start. He has the knowledge and experience to do well in that role. It is also worth noting that Eberflus and Washington are both working within the same defensive system. So regardless of who is calling plays, the Bears defensive structure probably looks similar if not the same.
Unless Eberflus says otherwise expect him to be calling defensive plays during the 2024 season.
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