The Dallas Cowboys have a way to go before they can return to being bona fide championship contenders, particularly given that the newly minted NFC champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, remain in division.
In the new Brian Schottenheimer era, the team will be searching for answers on both sides of the ball, with the team ranked in the bottom half of the league in both total offense and defense.
A bright spot for the Cowboys was looking to be the presence of veteran coach and former Vikings HC, Mike Zimmer, as defensive coordinator on the team – a role he’s served in for the past year since taking over from now Washington Commanders head coach, Dan Quinn.
However, Zimmer revealed on Sunday that he would not be returning to Dallas in 2025, and is likely to retire.
Who Will Be The Dallas Cowboys’ Newest Defensive Coordinator?
As a result, the search is on for a new defensive coordinator in Arlington – a particularly critical position given Schottenheimer’s inexperience as a head coach, and his speciality being on the opposite side of the ball.
The franchise, one would imagine, will most likely want to bring in a long time DC, and preferably one with one with head coaching experience in order to be on hand to provide stability and guidance to the newbie Schottenheimer.
One major name that has popped up was former Chicago Bears head coach, Matt Eberflus, who was fired midseason by the franchise after a series of disappointing coaching decisions to end games this past season.
And it seems like ‘Flus may indeed be a likely candidate for the Cowboys, as Tom Pelissero reports that the former HC is in Dallas for an interview.
What Does Matt Eberflus Bring To The Table?
Whilst he will not be remembered as a successful head coach in the league (thus far), going 14-32 during his stint, including a remarkably awful 5-19 in one-score games, many believe he is still a very capable defensive coordinator.
The Bears defense improved from one of the worst units in the NFL at the beginning of 2023, to a borderline top 10 unit in football by the beginning of 2024. And, almost more crucially, once Eberflus left, the defense got significantly worse.
Eberflus’ poor in-game management will, one would imagine, not be a major factor in the decision making process, given his auxiliary rather than titular role. And although the coach was fervently disliked throughout the Greater Chicago Area by the end of his tenure, this could genuinely be a smart play for a team that ranked 28th in total defense in 2025.
With no other interview requests to date by the Dallas Cowboys for the role, it seems like this is really all but a done deal for the ‘Boys – who may end up making a sneaky good hire.
Cowboys Poised To Hire Much Maligned Ex Head Coach To Become New DC