Dallas Cowboys hire Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator

The Dallas Cowboys hired former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator, the team announced Tuesday.

Eberflus will return to Dallas, where he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach. Eberflus coached linebackers for the Cowboys from 2011-17 and added defensive passing game coordinator to his title from 2016-17.

Eberflus is the second former Bears head coach to land a new gig this week. Thomas Brown, the interim head coach after the Bears fired Eberflus, will reportedly become the passing game coordinator and tight ends coach with the New England Patriots.

Eberflus will join new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s staff. The Cowboys introduced Schottenheimer during a news conference Monday. Schottenheimer previously had been the offensive coordinator under former head coach Mike McCarthy.

Eberflus compiled a 14-32 record in three years as the head coach of the Bears. The team fired him Nov. 29, midway through his third season in charge.

In Dallas, Eberflus worked under former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and longtime Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. Eberflus originally left the Cowboys to become the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-21.

The Bears defense played well under Eberflus, particularly in 2023 and the early parts of 2024. When he was a defensive coordinator in Indianapolis, his Colts defenses were among the best in football. He can coach up a defense. But as head coach in Chicago, his late-game decision making and clock management were the bigger issues.

In Dallas, Eberflus will take over a defense with some elite talent. Edge rusher Micah Parsons has been to the Pro Bowl in all four of his NFL seasons. Cornerback Trevon Diggs led the league in interceptions in 2021 and is a two-time Pro Bowl player.

The Cowboys have had a dramatic offseason. They spent a week trying to work things out with McCarthy, whose contract expired Jan. 14. McCarthy and the Cowboys decided to go their separate ways – a week after other teams had begun the head coach interview process. Days later McCarthy interviewed for the Bears job in person at Halas Hall.

From the start, the Cowboys were behind the eight ball. Now, Jerry Jones' team has elected to promote a head coach from within.

Schottenheimer has been an offensive coordinator for three different NFL teams over the years, but this will be his first crack at being a head coach. He’s the son of longtime NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer. The Cowboys are hoping his hiring will lead to some consistency within an offense that locked up quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb to huge contracts prior to the 2024 season.

As for the Bears, they’ve moved on from Eberflus. The team introduced new head coach Ben Johnson last week.