Matt Eberflus Joins 49ers as Assistant Head Coach of Defense
The San Francisco 49ers have hired matt eberflus as their assistant head coach of defense. The addition arrives as the club reconfigures its defensive staff and prepares for a critical offseason of roster decisions.
Matt Eberflus's role with the 49ers defense
Matt Eberflus, 55, will take a role that had been occupied by Gus Bradley last season and will work alongside newly appointed defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Bradley left the position to join Robert Saleh in Tennessee, opening the vacancy the 49ers have now filled.
The hire pairs an experienced defensive coach with the 49ers’ coordinator track already reset for this cycle. Eberflus will oversee the defense alongside Morris, a structure that follows San Francisco’s choice to bring in a dedicated defensive coordinator after Saleh’s departure.
Cowboys tenure and 2025 defensive numbers
Before joining San Francisco, matt eberflus spent last season with the Dallas Cowboys as defensive coordinator and was dismissed after one year. Dallas finished the regular season allowing the most points in the league at 30. 1 per game and the most passing yards at 251. 5 per game, prompting a change at the position coach level and the hiring of Christian Parker as Dallas’ next defensive coordinator.
Eberflus’ recent track record shows peaks and valleys: during his time with the Indianapolis Colts from 2018 through 2021 the club ranked 12th in EPA per play and 18th in defensive success rate, while his Bears defenses from 2022 through 2024 were 29th in EPA per play and 26th in success rate. This past season with Dallas, those measures fell to 32nd and 31st, respectively. The contrast in those four-year stretches helps explain both his mobility among staffs and the scrutiny surrounding his most recent season.
Nick Martin, Dee Winters and 49ers linebacker plans
What makes this notable is Eberflus’s reputation for developing linebackers and valuing interior pass rush. He has previously coached multiple Pro Bowl linebackers and, while with the Colts, coached Shaquille Leonard to three first-team All-Pro selections. The 49ers recently used a third-round pick on Nick Martin, and linebacker Dee Winters has one more year on his contract, leaving the position group in a state of potential transition.
Eberflus’ history suggests the 49ers could prioritize improvements next to Fred Warner and potentially pursue a 3-technique interior pass rusher if he has influence over roster choices. That cause-and-effect—bringing in a coach known for linebacker development and then shaping personnel decisions to match his strengths—frames why the hire could alter the team’s offseason plan.
The broader implication is that San Francisco moved deliberately to blend continuity and new voices: Raheem Morris as coordinator and Matt Eberflus as assistant head coach of defense creates a two-headed defensive leadership structure intended to address both schematic and positional needs.
With the regular season behind them, the 49ers now turn to the offseason with a staff retooled for defensive work and a series of clear, measurable questions to answer on personnel—chief among them who lines up beside Warner and how the interior defensive line will be addressed.
