Report: Jaguars to conduct second head coach interview with Colts DC Matt Eberflus

It appears the Jaguars may have found their first finalist for their head coach opening.

Jacksonville will conduct a second interview with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Eberflus is the first candidate to get a second interview with the Jaguars.

Eberflus, 51, began his coaching career in the college ranks at Toledo, where he also played under multiple coaches including Nick Saban in 1990. He began working as an assistant after graduating, working his way up as high as defensive backs coach from 1999-2000 before leaving to be the defensive coordinator at Missouri under Gary Pinkel, who he also played for at Toledo.

Eberflus jumped to the NFL in 2009 as the linebackers coach for the Browns, where he stayed for two years. He then took on the same role with the Cowboys for seven seasons, and was named passing game coordinator as well in 2016. 

He joined the Colts in 2018, initially under the assumption he'd be working with newly-hired Josh McDaniels. When McDaniels reneged on the offer and returned to New England, Indianapolis instead hired Frank Reich, whom Eberflus had never met. Colts general manager Chris Ballard was able to convince Eberflus to stay, however, and he has been the team's defensive coordinator ever since.

Under Eberflus, the Colts' defense has ranked 11th, 16th, 8th, and 16th in the NFL from 2018-21 in total yards allowed. They made the playoffs in 2018 and 2020 and narrowly missed the postseason in 2021.

The Jaguars job became open after just one season when the team fired embattled former coach Urban Meyer near the end of the year. They've interviewed or requested to interview a number of candidates, including former Eagles coach Doug Pederson, Cowboys coordinators Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn, and Buccaneers coordinators Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich, the latter of which played for the Jaguars for four seasons.