Cowboys fire DC Eberflus: 'Change is needed'

FRISCO, Texas — Matt Eberflus has been fired as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, the team announced Tuesday.

Two days after the season ended with the Cowboys finishing last in the league in points per game and 30th in yards per game, Eberflus was relieved of his duties.

“Having known Matt Eberflus for decades now, we have tremendous respect and appreciation for him as a coach and a person. After reviewing and discussing the results of our defensive performance this season, though, it was clear that change is needed,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. “This is the first step in that process, and we will continue that review as it applies to reaching our much higher expectations.”

As a result, the Cowboys will be looking for their fourth defensive coordinator in as many years after Dan Quinn (2023), Mike Zimmer (2024) and Eberflus (2025).

The Cowboys’ history with Eberflus — he was an assistant coach from 2011 to 2017 — and his track record as a quality defensive coordinator led Brian Schottenheimer to add him as defensive coordinator, but things never clicked.

For the first time in franchise history, the Cowboys allowed more than 30 points per game (30.1), giving up a team-record 511 points. This was the seventh time since Jones became the owner and general manager in 1989 that a Cowboys defense allowed 400 or more points and after each occasion there has been a coordinator change or radical scheme change.

The Cowboys traded All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons the week before the season started and failed to secure a consistent pass rush. The Cowboys finished with 35 sacks, their fewest since 2020 when they had 31, which was the final 16-game regular season.

Opponents scored more than 30 points nine times. The Cowboys allowed either a touchdown or field goal on 91 of 177 drives on the season. They allowed 377 yards per game, which was third worst in the league. The 12 takeaways were the fewest in a season since 2015 (8 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries).

While there was improvement in the run defense, it still ranked just 23rd.

Eberflus took ownership for the poor season, but also said he would not have done anything different if he could do it over again. Unable to consistently get after the quarterback, the Cowboys’ secondary was picked apart. Opposing quarterbacks completed 68.5% of the passes.

Even middling quarterbacks had success against Dallas. Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2 but was benched by the New York Giants after one more start. Justin Fields threw for a season-high 282 yards for the New York Jets with two touchdown passes. He did not have another game with more than one touchdown pass before he was benched late last month. Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy threw for a season-high 250 yards against the Cowboys, averaging 10.4 yards per attempt.

In a Week 16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cowboys did not sack Justin Herbert despite him entering the game as the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL.

At times during the season, owner and general manager Jerry Jones expressed displeasure with the defense but also did not put all of the blame on Eberflus.

The trade for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams stabilized the defense during a three-game winning streak, but that did not hold up down the stretch. The Cowboys also traded for Cincinnati linebacker Logan Wilson, but he did not see a snap of action in a Week 17 win against the Washington Commanders.

Former Pro Bowl cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland barely played at the same time. Bland’s season was cut short by a foot injury that required surgery. Diggs questioned Eberflus’ scheme, wanting to play more man coverage. He missed six games with a concussion and a knee injury, before he was waived on Dec. 30.

The Cowboys have two first-round picks in the upcoming draft but do not have picks in the second and third rounds because of trades for Williams (Jets) and wide receiver George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers).

They are certain to face a defensive makeover with five starters or regulars set to hit free agency.

But it is a makeover, in coordinator and/or scheme, that will be necessary after what happened in 2025.