Bears to hire Matt Eberflus, Broncos tab Nathaniel Hackett as coaching dominoes fall

Frank Reich must be doing something Frank Right because for the second time in as many years, the Indianapolis Colts are losing a coordinator. A year after Nick Sirianni was hired to be head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears have opted to nab Indy’s defensive coordinator, hiring Colts’ DC Matt Eberflus to be their next head coach according to reports on Thursday morning.

The Los Angeles Rams defeated Matt Nagy and the Bears 34-14 in Week 1, setting off a disappointing 6-11 season that resulted in Nagy’s firing. Chicago turned back to the defensive side of the ball for this head coaching hire, as opposed to an offensive-based option like Nagy to guide Justin Fields’ future.

It was also reported on Thursday that the Denver Broncos are hiring Nathaniel Hackett, who most recently served as offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell had been considered a ‘finalist’ for the job but it looks like Denver has gone in a slightly different direction, though both are offensive coordinators for former colleagues; in this case, Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur.

O’Connell has also drawn interest from the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans, so his job hunt isn’t necessarily over. Raheem Morris has been connected to the Vikings as well, while assistant head coach Thomas Brown interviewed with the Miami Dolphins. Rumors on Thursday are the the Dolphins will hire Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.