Arizona Cardinals v Dallas Cowboys - NFL 2025
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FRISCO, Texas -- Something had to change for the Dallas Cowboys' defense after a disastrous season. That decision came on Tuesday when the team fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after just one season in the position, sources told CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones. The Cowboys will now have a fourth different defensive coordinator in as many seasons.

Dallas ranked as the NFL's worst scoring defense, allowing 30.1 points per game. That's the second-most points per game allowed in the 66-season history of the Cowboys with only Dallas' inaugural 1960 team that went 0-11-1 being worse.

The Cowboys capped off a 7-9-1 season on Sunday with a 34-17 loss in New York against the Giants.

Eberflus took ownership and accountability for Dallas' lack of defensive execution on New Year's Day, so naturally he was held accountable for his unit's results. 

"Ownership and accountability is right with me," Eberflus said. "I'm the defensive coordinator, so it's always that. … I take full accountability. We wanted to see more progress during the course of the year. It was just more up and down. It just wasn't linear."  

It is worth noting Jones did trade away All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, the team's best defensive player, to the Green Bay Packers after failed extension talks a week before the 2025 season began. That put Eberflus in a tough spot before the season even began.

"Obviously you have an All-Pro pass rusher that wins really quick [Parsons], that's certainly going to help any defense if it's Micah or if it's Myles [Garrett] or whoever that might be. But that impact player is always going to help to a certain degree in pass downs and other downs," Eberflus said. Again, you can't look back right? It is what it is and then you just focus where you are."  

Dallas' defense was sidetracked by injuries up and down their cornerback position with DaRon Bland (foot), ex-Cowboy Trevon Diggs (knee/concussion), Shavon Revel (knee) and Caelen Carson (knee, hamstring). Diggs and Eberflus also clashed about zone vs. man coverage usage all year long before Dallas released him after Week 17. 

"I think the start of the year, guys were in and out, in terms of we weren't at full force," Eberflus said. "And then when we got some guys back, I thought we had a good stretch there. I thought the stretch was pretty good. We started to improve. I know we improved in the run defense and the third-down defense. And then from there we just didn't execute the way we wanted to at certain moments. Certainly, some good execution in there at times, but it's got to be better."  

The additions of three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade, and All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in a trade deadline deal with the New York Jets helped the Cowboys improve their run defense. Dallas ranked 29th in run defense in 2024 (137.1 rushing yards per game allowed) and 23rd in 2025 (125.5 rushing yards per game allowed). However, the Cowboys were the NFL's worst passing defense, allowing 251.5 passing yards per game because of a lack of sack production without Parsons (35 in 2025, tied for the 11th-fewest in the league) and disarray in coverage in the secondary. 

Jones took some accountability for Dallas' defensive woes, saying he understands the team has to acquire better players on all three levels of its defense in order to improve in 2026 no matter who is calling the plays.  

"What that defense represents is the personnel department, that represents above that, my department. It represents everybody involved in contracts. We all take it, and that's no kidding," Jones said on Jan. 2 on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. … "I'll assure you, we won't walk in there and say, 'You know what, Eberflus and this guy over here and this guy over here, let's change that out and it'll all be [alright]. Let's go get a Coke and let them think about it.' That's not how it works."  

However, if given the chance to go back in time at the start of 2025, Eberflus felt he didn't think he would "do anything differently." That's an intriguing stance to take after coordinating a defense that ranked bottom-three in the NFL in numerous key metrics this season.

"I don't really think about it that way," Eberflus said. "I think about being in the moment and just keep adjusting and learning and growing and getting better. I don't think I'd do anything differently. I think I would just work to adjust when you get different players in and those things. I think that's what you do as a coach."    

Cowboys defense under Matt Eberflus in 2025, NFL ranks
NFL rank

PPG allowed

30.1* 

Last

Total YPG allowed

377.0

30th

Yards per play allowed

6.1

31st

Passing yards per game allowed

251.5

Last

Third down conversion rate allowed 

47.3%

Last

Red zone TD rate allowed 

66.7%

29th

Completion percentage allowed

68.5%

30th

Pass yards per attempt allowed

8.1

31st

Passer Rating

109.6

31st

* Second-most PPG allowed in a season in the Cowboys' 66-season history

With the way the Cowboys defense played in 2025, quarterback Dak Prescott leaves the 2025 season feeling frustrated despite being the NFL's third-leading passer with 4,552 yards through the air. That's in part to feeling like his level of play didn't impact Dallas' 7-9-1 record with the defensive issues negating the offense's production. 

"Being in a year where I can't say [for] probably one of the first times that my play directly... correlated to the record or making the playoffs, it's been tough," Prescott said on Jan. 1.  ... "It just goes back to me just as a leader trying to figure out ways to influence other guys in the locker room, not just on offense but on defense. Influence everything from the way that they approach the game, the way that they treat life at home and just letting them know how important all that is. It goes hand in hand when you're trying to be the best player on the field."

All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb also lamented the offense's efforts not translating to wins. Prescott ranked third in the NFL in passing yards (4,552), wide receiver George Pickens ranked third in the league in receiving yards (1,429), running back Javonte Williams ranked ninth in the league in rushing yards (1,201) and Lamb ranked 11th in the league in receiving yards (1,077) despite missing three games with an ankle injury. That's why the four-time Pro Bowl receiver is dreaming up how much more productive the offense may need to be in order to make up for the defensive shortcomings going forward in 2026. 

"Part of it is upsetting, but then again, you realize it's a business. You can't do one without the other right? So as for us, we got to get better. You got to get better," Lamb said on Jan. 1. "Maybe next year, we'll have two 1,500-yard receivers, a 5,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher. So just the bar for ourselves. ... I feel like that's how we got to look at it. You have to look at it as the glass is half full and not half empty."