Report: 49ers hire Matt Eberflus for defensive role

Field Level Media|published: 03/05/2026, 3:53pm EST

Aug 9, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus watches from the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are hiring Matt Eberflus as their assistant head coach of defense, NFL Network reported on Thursday.

The former Chicago Bears head coach was fired in January after one season as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.

Eberflus, 55, fills a role on San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan's staff that was held by Gus Bradley in 2025. Bradley departed to become the Tennessee Titans' defensive coordinator.

Eberflus will work with new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Morris replaced Robert Saleh, now the head coach of the Titans.

Eberflus' tenure in Dallas got off to a rough start when the team traded All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers just days before the start of the regular season.

The Cowboys finished 30th in total defense, 32nd (last) in passing defense at 251.5 yards per game and last in third-down defense, giving up a first down on more than 47% of third-down snaps. Dallas allowed a franchise-record 511 points.

Eberflus went 14-32 as the head coach of the Bears from 2022-24, fired after a 4-8 start in his final season. Before Chicago, he was the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-21 and coached linebackers for the Cowboys (2011-17) and Cleveland Browns (2009-10).

--Field Level Media