The Chicago Bears hired Eric Washington as their new defensive coordinator this offseason, but it sounds like he will not have the role of play-caller for the team.
During a press conference this week, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced that he will remain the defensive play-caller for the team this season. Eberflus took over defensive play-calling duties early in the season in 2023 after previous defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned from his position ahead of Week 3, and it sounds like he’ll remain in that position this season.
Though Washington will not actually be calling plays, that did not dissuade him from becoming the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator.
“Matt’s aware of my background in terms of calling defenses, and what we talked about more than anything was just how do we put forth the best scenario for 2024 to make sure our defense is going in the right direction,” Washington said. “Matt Eberflus is an unbelievable play-caller. He’s an outstanding play-caller, and we saw the effect that that had on our team last year, especially going down the stretch. We want to continue that. We don’t want to stymy that momentum. We want to continue that. And my expectation, and his expectation for me, is to contribute to that in the planning process and in real-time on gameday.”
We’ll have to see how Eberflus performs as he continues in this role.
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