Cowboys are unlikely to fire DC Matt Eberflus, but HC Brian Schottenheimer had a telling postgame quote about the defense
The Cowboys head coach made it clear he expects a change.
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is far from where it needs to be if Brian Schottenheimer is to debut as an NFL head coach with a winning record. And three weeks into the 2025 NFL season, his defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus, is dealing with so much criticism that talk about an early coaching fire has begun among fans and media members alike.
After watching the Cowboys’ horrendous defensive effort against the Chicago Bears — and Russell Wilson’s vintage performance the week prior — I even discussed it on my takeaways from the Week 3 loss. Though the team lacks talent on that side of the ball, it’s also time to see something different out of Eberflus, who is reluctant to blitz or play man coverage, insisting on soft zone coverages that quarterbacks have successfully exploited.
I realize, however, how unlikely the Cowboys are to move on so quickly. Jerry Jones told reporters postgame he still believed Dallas was a playoff team. The front office is well aware that they unexpectedly took Micah Parsons away from Eberflus one week before the NFL Kickoff. But mostly, we’re headed into Week 4, and a major shake-up this early on would be uncharacteristic of any franchise, let alone the Cowboys.
And yet, one postgame comment from Schottenheimer makes it clear that changes are expected from Eberflus going into next week’s game versus the Green Bay Packers.
Schottenheimer says Cowboys need to ‘simplify’ things on defense
Although he didn’t seem to intend it as a jab at his defensive coordinator, Schottenheimer was asked about the Cowboys’ communication issues on defense following the loss to the Chicago Bears, and he delivered a noteworthy response.
“It wasn’t [fixed after Week 2],” Schottenheimer admitted. “That’s coaching, it starts with us, we’ve got to do a better job, simplify a few things, maybe.”
It might not be the most explicit or loudest of messages, but Schottenheimer saying the defense may need to be simplified three weeks into the season is a sign of how bad things are going for Eberflus’ unit.
“The one thing that we knew going into this game is they would challenge us with motions and shifts, and they did that,” Schottenheimer added. “Gotta tighten the coverage down for sure, we’ll take a hard look at it. Maybe it is to simplify things.”
Again, some slack should be cut for the coach, considering the tough hand he was dealt. The Cowboys simply lack talent at multiple levels of the defense. But at some point, adjustments need to be made.
It’s on Eberflus to not blitz, to not change up coverages, or play closer to the line of scrimmage. Let’s see if anything changes in Week 4. For now, we know the head coach wants to see something different.