After hiring former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as head coach, the Cowboys hired Eberflus to replace Mike Zimmer. Eberflus was tasked with fixing a defense that ranked 31st in points allowed, 28th in yards allowed and 29th in rushing yards allowed.
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Before the season began, the Cowboys traded their best defender, Micah Parsons, to the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys acquired two first-round picks and Kenny Clark to help stop the run.
Despite the changes on defense, the Cowboys defense continued to struggle this season. On 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said the team lacked a defensive identity this season.
“We have to get an identity on the defensive side of the football. I don’t think we ever established who we were as a defense. We really weren’t a team that created turnovers. We didn’t get the ball. We gave up a lot of explosive (plays). Sometimes we felt like we were (stopping) the run. But we just have a lot of work to do on that side of the ball. I think everyone knows that. We’ll go all out.”
“Simply put, we need an identity on the defensive side of the ball. I don’t think we’ve established that this year. Whether it’s coach (Matt) Eberflus or whoever, we have to create an identity.
“I think everyone would say Coach (Brian) Schottenheimer has a lot of energy, he’s very authentic and he has an identity. We have to play with that in all three phases. I think we did that in one phase (offense) this year. I don’t know if we established that in the other two phases (defense, special teams).”
Dallas ranks last in points allowed, allowing 29.8 points per game, and ranks 30th in yards allowed per game with 376.8 yards. The Cowboys’ defense also failed to create turnovers or get to the passer consistently, which had been a trademark under former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
They ranked 28th in turnovers created and 22nd in sacks. This was despite the Cowboys acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline.
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Eberflus finished the season in the coaching booth after sitting on the sidelines for the final three games. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he would evaluate Eberflus’ work over the last three games. The Cowboys continued to struggle, allowing more than 30 points in two of the three games.
Before becoming the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last offseason, Eberflus was the head coach of the Chicago Bears and previously served as the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator after a stint as the Cowboys’ linebackers coach. He went 14-32 during his time as the Bears’ head coach.