Cowboys Restructure Coaching Staff After Disappointing Season

The Dallas Cowboys have reportedly made adjustments to their coaching team following a second consecutive disappointing year.

On Tuesday, sources indicated that the Cowboys parted ways with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after just one season in that role. Under Eberflus, the defense struggled significantly, being one of the weakest units in the league this past season.

This year, the Cowboys’ defense allowed the highest points per game—30.1—and registered the third-highest yards allowed per game at 377. Only the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals ranked worse in terms of yardage given up.

With Eberflus’ dismissal, the Cowboys find themselves on their fourth defensive coordinator in four years, as Dan Quinn is expected to leave the team at the end of the 2023 season to pursue a head coaching position.

Mike Zimmer briefly served as the defensive coordinator in 2024 but was not retained after the team let go of head coach Mike McCarthy.

The Cowboys, who ended the season with a record of 7-9-1, might have made the playoffs if their defense had performed even at a mediocre level. Their offense was one of the best, ranking seventh in the NFL with an average of 27.7 points per game, while their defense conceded the second-most yards, trailing only the Los Angeles Rams.

Before joining the Cowboys, Eberflus was head coach of the Chicago Bears, where he held a 14-32 record over three seasons and earned the dubious honor of being the franchise’s first head coach to be fired mid-season.

Despite recent acquisitions like linebacker Logan Wilson and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams during the trade deadline in an attempt to reinforce the unit, the locker room was shaken by Micah Parsons’ unexpected trade to the Packers, proving detrimental to the defense’s cohesion.