Sunday saw yet another defensive collapse from the Cowboys, allowing the Los Angeles Chargers to roll for over 450 yards and the second-highest point total of their season as quarterback Justin Herbert finished the Week 16 game with his best passer rating in four years.
But don’t expect a change at defensive coordinator for Dallas… at least right now.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was emphatic about sticking with Matt Eberflus through the final two games of the schedule, but he acknowledged that this latest loss- one that guarantees Dallas will miss out on a winning season for the second year in a row- may force his hand once the offseason mercifully arrives.
“We all underachieved,” Jones told reporters at AT&T Stadium following the 34-17 defeat that dropped the team’s record to 6-8-1.
“I thought we’ve done some things out there that, frankly, we can carry forward with us,” he continued. “And that’s always the case, that there’s some positive things. The question is: can we make some changes where we need to?”
Most observers have been pointing the finger at Eberflus all season. The coordinator was in his first year back in Dallas, having been hand-picked and hired by Jones even before Brian Schottenheimer was officially christened as the head coach in January.
But the team’s defensive players struggled from the beginning with Eberflus’s scheme. Personnel issues compounded matters, with Micah Parsons being sent packing just before Week 1 and several other key playmakers- like Trevon Diggs, DeMarvion Overshown, and DaRon Bland- missing time due to injury. The Cowboys acquired Kenny Clark early and traded for Quinnen Williams in November, but even those moves can be characterized as too little, too late.
Under Eberflus, the Cowboys defense has allowed opponents to score 23 or more points (the league average entering Week 15) in 11 of 15 contests, and they’ve given up more than 329 yards (also the league average) in all but two.
“Obviously the target’s on him because of our statistical as well as actual play on the defensive side of the ball,” Jones said. “But that goes with it.”
And yet, Eberflus won’t be “fully evaluated,” the owner says, until after the Jan. 4 finale versus the Giants.
Jones had been supportive of his DC for most of the season. The unit’s failures since Thanksgiving, though, contributed heavily to ruining the team’s chances of reaching the postseason. And now even Jones has no choice but to admit that the decision on whether to make a change may not be all that difficult.
“I might not couch it as ‘difficult,'” he told media members. “[Evaluating Eberflus] is certainly something that we have to do, and that is look at the entire year and look at what our options are and how to correct not being here at the same time next year.”
If Jones does bring in a new defensive coordinator for 2026, it will mark the fourth individual in that role in Dallas in four years.
But based on what the unit has done under Eberflus this season, Jones may have no other choice.
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys’ Jerry Jones won’t evaluate DC Matt Eberflus until offseason
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