Previously: 12
In 2018, Matt Eberflus was hired by Josh McDaniels to be the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. He signed his contract and was set to be the new right-hand man for the new Colts head coach.
Then, a small problem came up. McDaniels didn’t come. Eberflus was still on the staff, but they had no head coach. Thankfully for Eberflus, the Colts decided to keep their top assistants when they brought in Frank Reich to officially take over as the head coach. And the move paid off.
During his first season in Indianapolis, Eberflus turned the Colts’ defense into a surprisingly strong unit. He incorporated rookie second-round draft pick Darius Leonard into the team well and turned him into one of the NFL’s best tacklers. He also helped to coach up countless other players including Kenny Moore, Malik Hooker, Kemoko Turay, and many others.
The Colts defense in ’18 was a top-12 unit and while they haven’t been quite as strong this season, they have been solid and have helped the Colts to stay afloat despite being much less powerful on offense in the wake of Andrew Luck’s surprising retirement.
Eberflus is a solid defensive mind and he could work wonders with the ‘Skins and find ways to tap into the top-level potential of their defensive squad. He should certainly get some consideration for the head coaching role and could be viewed as one of the best defensive options to take over and lead the squad.