One day after hiring Ryan Poles as their new general manager, the Bears might be close to ending their head coaching search, too.
Poles is slated to interview two coaches Wednesday at Halas Hall, sources said: Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. On Tuesday, Poles interviewed Jim Caldwell, the former Lions and Colts head coach, at Halas Hall.
All three coaches first met with the Bears’ five-person search committee. The Bears figure to let Poles make the final decision — they laid out that formula at the beginning of the search — but it’s unclear exactly how much influence the committee will have when it comes time for the GM to weigh the candidates.
Quinn coached the Falcons from 2015-2020 and reached the Super Bowl five years ago, losing to the Patriots after leading 28-3. He’s well-liked across the league and is believed to have an impressive staff lined up to work for him. Quinn, who coached a resurgent Cowboys defense this season, is also a finalist for the Broncos job. He first interviewed with the Bears on Saturday.
Eberflus has run the Colts defense since 2018, when he left the Cowboys to work for new head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels backed out of the job but the Colts kept their defensive coordinator anyway. In three of the past four years, the Colts have ranked in the top-10 in fewest points allowed. He is expected to interview a second time with the Jaguars, too.
Eberflus first interviewed with the Bears on Jan. 17. Caldwell’s first interview came two days earlier.
It’s unclear if Poles will make any additions to the Bears’ final interviews list. If he’s swayed by any of the three candidates he’s met with in person, though, he’ll know that the same five-person committee that hired him approves of the choice. And then things could move fast.
