Chicago Bears 🐻⬇️

Cannon Matthews enters his second season as a Defensive Assistant – Nickels with the Bears in 2026.

Cannon Matthews enters his second season as a Defensive Assistant – Nickels with the Bears in 2026.

In his first season with Chicago, Matthews aided a defense that led the NFL in takeaways (33) and interceptions (23). Matthews primarily led a nickels group that saw a number of contributors. After joining the Bears before Week 9 of the season, DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson made an immediate impact under Matthew's direction, becoming just the second DB to have three sacks in his first two games with a new team since sacks became an official stat in 1982. The three sacks ranked tied for the second most by and defensive back in the NFL during the 2025 season. DB Nick McCloud also spent time playing the nickel position, recording 26 tackles, his highest mark since 2022. After returning from injury late just in time for the postseason, DB Kyler Gordon made his impact felt in the Bears' two playoff games, logging 10 tackles, two passes defended, one QBH and a sack on Rams QB Matthew Stafford, for minus-13 yards.

Before arriving in Chicago, Matthews spent the previous five years on the staff of the Dallas Cowboys, starting as a Defensive Quality Control Coach in 2020, elevating to Assistant Defensive Backs Coach in 2023, then to Safeties Coach in 2024. Over the final four of his five years with Dallas, the Cowboys' secondary helped the unit total the most interceptions by any team in the NFL over the four-year span, amassing a league-high 72 interceptions from 2021-24. Matthews' work with the defensive backs helped the Cowboys own the No. 5 and No. 8-ranked pass defense in the NFL in 2023 (187.4) and 2022 (200.9), respectively. Individually, Matthews' group featured the development of CB Trevon Diggs, who accumulated two Pro Bowl selections and an AP First-Team All-Pro nod (2021) during his time with Matthews on staff, as well as the continued growth of All-Pro CB DaRon Bland, who, in 2023, set an NFL record for the most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single season (five) while leading the league in interceptions. In 2021, Diggs secured an NFL-best 11 interceptions, tied for the most by any player in a single season in Cowboys history, en route to an All-Pro acknowledgment. As a rookie in 2020, Diggs led all Cowboys defenders in interceptions (three) and passes defensed (14).

Prior to his time with Dallas, Matthews spent three years as a Quality Control / Defense with Washington following one season as Assistant Defensive Backs Coach with the Cleveland Browns (2016). With Cleveland, the secondary registered 10 interceptions, as the 2016 season marked Matthews' third tenure with the Browns after previously serving as a Defensive Intern with Cleveland in 2013, where the unit ranked top-10 in the NFL in total defense (9th, 332.4 yards per game), and first as a Personnel Intern in 2007. Between coaching stints with Cleveland, Matthews spent two seasons as a Defensive Quality Control with the Tennessee Titans (2014-15), working with the linebackers. In his first season with Tennessee, 18 different Titans registered a full sack, a single-season team record and NFL best. The following season, the Titans defense ranked seventh in the NFL in passing defense (229.9 yards per game).

Matthews spent the 2012 season as Running Backs Coach at Kentucky Christian University, as the Knights posted a 7-4 record, registering the first winning season in program history. After accumulating experience as a Personnel Intern in 2007 with the Buffalo Bills and the first part of 2008 as a Personnel Intern with the Arizona Rattlers of the AFL, Matthews spent four years on the coaching staff of the Buffalo Bills. Matthews joined Buffalo's staff as a Defensive / Special Teams Assistant in 2008, spending two seasons in that role, before moving to the offensive side as an Offensive Assistant in 2010, where he aided the Bills' offensive coaching staff for two seasons.

A native of Bedford Heights, Ohio, Matthews earned a bachelor's degree in sports management from Ohio University.