The Cowboys had their chance to reunite with Matt Eberflus, and they took it. The former Bears Head Coach has been hired as the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys. Will Eberflus be able to turn the Cowboys’ defense around?
Cowboys’ Defense Might Have Gotten What They Needed
Dallas, this past season, struggled on defense. They ranked 29th in the league in rushing yards allowed, giving up 131.7 per game. Their pass defense, however, was better, allowing 218.1 per game, which puts them at 18th in the league. Bringing in Matt Eberflus is a good step for the Cowboys to help their defense.
Even though Eberflus was a disaster as a head coach, he has shown himself to be a good defensive coordinator. In his last year as DC of the Colts, Matt Eberflus had his defense allowing 21.5 points per game, good for ninth in the league. For context on how good he was after he left, the Colts’ defense allowed 25.1 points per game, putting them at 28th in the league. It didn’t come as a surprise that he was hired as a DC as quickly as he was. Eberflus has shown that he can manage a defense successfully.
The Cowboys are also getting a new head coach, Brian Schottenheimer. These changes should bring new life to Dallas. Eberflus should be able to get this defense back on track. They ranked second to last in terms of points per game, allowing 27.5. The Cowboys have the talent to be successful on the defensive side. Specifically, Micah Parsons, outside linebacker for the Cowboys, is their premier player.
Dallas also has veteran middle linebacker Eric Kendricks from the Vikings. This past year, as a member of the Cowboys, he had a high career in tackles, with 128. He also added two interceptions to cap off a successful year for him.
Is There Too Much Pressure On Eberflus To Succeed?
Matt Eberflus has shown that he can be a successful DC. He did so in Indianapolis for four years before becoming a head coach. The Dallas Cowboys are a team that has Superbowl aspirations year after year. Eberflus could feel the pressure in Dallas like he did in Chicago. Fans were chanting Fire Eberflus by mid-season when he was the Bears’ Head Coach. Being a head coach and a coordinator are two different things. Still, Matt Eberflus has shown that he can make mistakes at key points in games. Can he put all that behind him and focus on defense specifically?
Matt Eberflus has been part of the Dallas coaching staff before. He was their linebackers coach for six years, so he knows the defense they like to play.
There will undoubtedly be questions about him and his ability to put aside his head coaching mishaps and solely focus on defense. The Cowboys needed an experienced defensive coordinator to fix their underwhelming stats. With the experience that Matt Eberflus has in the Cowboys organization, he should be able to get the best out of their defense. It will be interesting to see how they play next year after ranking poorly in the major categories this season.
End Of My Cowboys Rant
The Dallas Cowboys are always a team to watch in the NFL. Whether good or bad, they will steal the headlines. Their defense certainly needs to step it up next season and Matt Eberflus is a great way to do that. Will he get their defense going in the right direction? Or will he make critical mistakes like he did as head coach of the Bears? The Cowboys certainly hope for the former.
