3 Chicago Bears coaching candidates connected to Ryan Poles

Matt Eberflus

Matt Eberflus is already considered to be a finalist for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy, and with Ryan Poles now in place as general manager, Eberflus may now be an even stronger candidate.

Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was already scheduled to receive a second interview with the Chicago Bears regarding their head coaching vacancy prior to the team moving forward with Ryan Poles as their general manager.

The belief was that Eberflus was a strong candidate to be the Bears’ next head coach because of the consultant that the team had hired to oversee the search. Former Indianapolis Colts’ executive Bill Polian, until now, has been the consultant that has been orchestrating the search for the Bears’ next head coach. Given the connection to the Colts, it is not a surprise that Eberflus has become a growing candidate to be the next head coach of the Bears.

Eberflus is scheduled to have his second interview with the Bears on Wednesday. Poles is believed to be running that interview but the two are already connected. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Poles and Eberflus have built a professional relationship over the recent years. That built relationship between Eberflus and Poles could be the reason why the Colts’ defensive coordinator remains a candidate for the position.

Poles and Eberflus having already built a relationship will automatically place the Bears ahead of schedule compared to the last time the team was hiring both a new general manager and head coach. The last time was in 2015 and that was the disaster pairing of former head coach John Fox and former general manager Ryan Pace.