The Dallas Cowboys have officially hired former Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Dallas announced the agreement with Eberflus on social media just one day after the team held a press conference to welcome Schottenheimer to the organization.
Eberflus has been the favorite to land the role since Dallas signed Brian Schottenheimer as head coach, interviewing him and quickly agreeing to the terms of a contract.
Dallas has now assembled two major pieces of the coaching staff alongside Schottenheimer. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the team officially agreed to contract terms to make Nick Sorensen the special teams coordinator.
Eberflus spent the past few seasons working as the Bears’ head coach but finished his tenure with an overall record of just 14-32 and was fired after only 12 games into the 2024 season.
Although Eberflus struggled during his two-and-a-half seasons with Chicago, he has demonstrated the ability to effectively lead a defense as a coordinator during four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Eberflus was the defensive coordinator for the Colts before joining the Bears and helped lead the defense to multiple statistical finishes around the top 10 over four seasons.
Indianapolis finished the 2018 season, Eberflus’s first year as defensive coordinator, ranked 11th for opponent yards per game and 10th for opponent points per game.
Despite a slight statistical dropoff during the 2019 season, the Colts’ defense bounced back in 2020 and finished the year ranked eighth in opponent’s yards per game and 10th in opponent’s points per game.
The final season of Eberflus’s career in Indianapolis came in 2021 when the Colts’ defense finished 16th in yards per game and ninth in opponent points per game.
One of the most impressive parts of these defensive units was the high number of takeaways, as the Colts’ defense finished fifth and second in forced turnovers during the final two seasons under Eberflus.
This aspect of the defense will be paramount for a Dallas team that has shown the ability to force turnovers in the past.
Dallas features multiple players on the roster who are amongst the best in the league at forcing turnovers, including cornerbacks Daron Bland and Trevon Diggs.
While Dallas features some of the pieces needed to be successful in the upcoming season, a few pieces will still have to be acquired during the offseason.
The Cowboys will likely have to spend resources during the free agency period and NFL draft to fortify the defensive line.
The most pressing needs for this team include a defensive tackle and edge rusher to help slow down opposing rushing attacks while forcing pressures on the quarterback. However, Dallas could also focus on improving the linebacker room due to an in-season injury suffered by Demarvion Overshown.