This Chicago Bears player is a big winner from Matt Eberflus

When the Chicago Bears hired Matt Eberflus it surprised some that the team went to the defensive side of the ball. While you can win with a defensive-minded head coach in the NFL, the thought what that this hire would be specifically for Justin Fields.

The Bears were looking more for their true leader of men type, and they feel that will rub off on Fileds in the correct manner. However, while Eberflus is expected to impact the entire culture and not just specific players, one player who has to be the biggest winner is Roquan Smith.

Roquan Smith has ascended into elite status over the past two seasons. However, he has not quite got the name recognition. One person who may put an end to that is Matt Eberflus.

Eberflus had his most success with the Dallas Cowboys as their linebacker coach. At that stop, he worked with Sean Lee, and the two developed a tremendous relationship. Injuries were the issues with Lee, but he was in sync with Eberflus and when Lee was rolling, he was one of the best in the game.

When Eberflus was hired as the Colts defensive coordinator, they took Darius Leonard, and he hit the ground running. Eberflus built the defense around Leonard in some ways, funneling plays to the middle of the field so that Leonard has the best chance to make a play on the ball.

When you watch the tape and see their efficiency metrics, Roquan Smith and Darius Leonard are not far off. Leonard is much more respected because he takes the ball away at a much higher rate, and therefore his plays become much more impactful.

If Eberflus can get that out of Roquan Smith, the ceiling for this player is the best linebacker in the NFL. He is already assignment sound, so if you can add that playmaker element to his game it would put him over the top.

There will be plenty of people impacted by this new hire, but the addition of Eberflus is huge for Roquan Smith.