After being relieved from his head coaching duties at the Chicago Bears and replaced by Ben Johnson, Matt Eberflus is close to finding a home at the Jrry Jones-owned Dallas Cowboys franchise.
Eberflus led the Bears for three seasons, ending with a 14-32 record, and was fired after a devastating loss against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
While Eberflus’s head coaching stint was tough, fans will hope his defensive coordinator stint with the Cowboys is better.
NFL Fans Grill Jerry Jones For Possibly Hiring Matt Eberflus
With Jerry Jones rumored to be hiring Eberflus, it would be his second stint with the Cowboys. He first served as their linebackers coach for six years and then also served as the team’s passing game coordinator from 2016-17.
While Eberflus saw many ups and downs as a head coach, he has proven himself to be a good defense coordinator, giving fans some hope for the Cowboys’ future.
However, not everybody is happy with the potential hire, especially after the Cowboys announced that Brian Schottenheimer will be the new head coach.
NFL insider Ed Werder wrote on X, “Breaking: The #Cowboys have hired Matt Eberflus as their defensive coordinator on new HC Brian Schottenheimer’s staff, per sources. He was a defensive assistant under Rod Marinelli on Jason Garrett’s staff for 2011-2017. He was most recently head coach of the Chicago Bears.”
However, the news has not officially been announced yet by the team.
Breaking: The #Cowboys have hired Matt Eberflus as their defensive coordinator on new HC Brian Schottenheimer’s staff, per sources.
He was a defensive assistant under Rod Marinelli on Jason Garrett’s staff for 2011-2017. He was most recently head coach of the Chicago Bears.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) January 25, 2025
To which a fan replied, “How? They just hired a HC 2 hours ago.” “WTF is Jerry Jones doing?” another fan questioned.
“The Cowboys are a joke but I actually like this hire a lot. Many coordinators are overmatched as HC and return to become great coordinators again. He’s a good hire.” another fan added.
“Honey, Dallas could hire Jesus as the coach, all the disciples for the offensive line, all the prophets as the defensive line and the team still would not win a championship! As long as Jerry is the owner, the curse will thrive upon the Cowboys.” another fan bluntly admitted.
“This is one of the worst nights for us fans in a long time. They hire the guy that boneheaded debacle that starts the Redskins on their streak. Oh lord,’ another fan commented.
“I have no issue with Eberflus as the DC….don’t love Brian as the HC… Hopefully we bring in Slowik as the OC. We have a FB that can work in his preferred offense.” another fan took a neutral stance.
The coaching staff carousel began after the Cowboys fired Mike McCarthy after a disappointing 7-10 season in 2024.
Why Brian Schottenheimer Is a Bad Hire for Cowboys
This is a win-now job, and recent Dallas head coaches haven’t had instant success. Mike McCarthy went 6-10 in his first season, while Jason Garrett didn’t have a winning season until his fourth full year at the helm (he was the interim head coach for the second half of the 2010 season).
The Garrett profile is interesting – he, too, was an offensive mind who had spent time with the franchise in a coordinator role prior to being handed the keys.
During his first three seasons, offensive growth wasn’t an issue (+6.3% points per drive compared to the year prior to him assuming the full-time role), but the defense took a step back (5.6% more yards allowed per game).
Schottenheimer is the third head coach hired by Jones without prior head coaching experience in the NFL or college. The first two hires had mixed results.
Garrett achieved four winning seasons and four 8-8 seasons during his nine full seasons as head coach. Dave Campo, on the other hand, recorded three consecutive 5-11 seasons.
McCarthy went 49-35 in five seasons with the Cowboys and won just seven games this year, failing to live up to preseason expectations.
