After the Cincinnati Bengals’ Super Bowl run at the end of the 2021 season, Lou Anarumo was being hyped as a potential head coaching candidate after helping limit Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to 24 points in the AFC Championship. The Bengals allowed the sixth-fewest points in the NFL the next season, which led to Anarumo being a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy.
But ever since, Anarumo’s defenses have ranked 21st and 25th in points allowed. When Cincinnati came short of the playoffs, the Bengals informed Anarumo that he wouldn’t return as defensive coordinator in 2025.
However, there’s already a candidate the Bengals have in mind to replace their defensive coordinator for the past six seasons.
Related: NFL coaching candidates 2025: Identifying top NFL head coach candidates
Cincinnati Bengals interested in Matt Eberflus for defensive coordinator position
According to ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, one candidate the Cincinnati Bengals have already expressed interest in hiring is former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. While he was let go from Chicago after a 4-8 start and 14-32 record across three seasons, Eberflus rose to fame after leading the Indianapolis Colts’ defense for four seasons. Indianapolis had a top-ten scoring defense in three out of four seasons with Eberflus at the helm.
Now the Bengals want to try tapping into his previous success. Yet, as Fowler notes, they’re unlikely to be the only team interested in hiring Eberflus for a defensive coordinator position this offseason.
Former #Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is involved in the #Bengals defensive coordinator search, per sources.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 11, 2025
Eberflus, fired by Chicago on Nov. 29, should be in the coordinator mix league-wide as the carousel spins. pic.twitter.com/oTkCz9lEi2
If Eberflus could help get Cincinnati back on track after the Bengals get some defensive reinforcements over the offseason, they could easily return as top playoff contenders next year.
Related: NFL insider predicts Cincinnati Bengals’ future with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
