Matt Eberflus won't be spending 2025 building a cabin.
The former Bears head coach has been hired by the Dallas Cowboys to be the team's new defensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday. The team has since announced the news.
Eberflus has spent his entire coaching career on the defensive side of the ball and made his name as a DC in Indianapolis, directing a Colts unit to routine finishes in the upper half of the NFL in total yards allowed per game. They peaked in the 2020 season, finishing eighth in the category before Eberflus left to take over as coach of the Chicago Bears in 2022.
He lasted two and a half seasons before he was fired following an ugly finish in a close Thanksgiving Day loss to the Lions that was so dysfunctional, he was relieved of his duties the next day. Eberflus' dismissal dropped the curtain on a tenure that offered some glimpses of potential, especially on the defensive side, but ultimately was too disorganized to justify continuing.
Eberflus heads south to the Cowboys to take over for Mike Zimmer, who left the Cowboys after Dallas passed over him in their head coaching search, choosing offensive assistant Brian Schottenheimer over the veteran coach who oversaw the Vikings for eight seasons. Eberflus will arrive to a team headlined by All-Pro rusher Micah Parsons, with the likes of Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland and DeMarvion Overshown also existing as either proven or ascending talents.
The 2024 season proved to be a nightmarish one for the Cowboys, who lost a number of key contributors on both sides of the ball. They finished 28th in total yards allowed and 24th in points allowed per game, but when considering the personnel losses they sustained, those numbers can't be viewed in a vacuum.
With an offseason to get healthy and for Eberflus to implement his system, the Cowboys are hoping for a bounce-back campaign in 2025. After watching his 2024 season end in his dismissal from the Bears, Eberflus would be happy to enjoy the same redemption.
