Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has addressed Matt Eberflus’ firing before. But he sounded more blunt than ever this time, citing the Cowboys’ defensive woes, the biggest pain point of their terrible season, as the clear reason for the change. After all, the Cowboys’ defensive struggles remain the biggest pain point of their terrible season. Recently, the head coach echoed this sentiment while explaining why the team moved on from its fourth defensive coordinator. 

“I just met with ‘Flus [Eberflus] early this morning,” he said to his staff. “Incredible human being. Love the man, but at the end of the day, the football wasn’t right.”

The last edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks In Season with the NFC East captured the moment when Brian Schottenheimer broke the news of Eberflus’s exit to his staff. His response was loud and clear.

The Cowboys officially released Eberflus on January 6, just two days after their season came to a close. The decision wasn’t a surprise, with the cracks in his defense on display all year. They struggled on third downs and couldn’t exert enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks. 

Dallas turned to Brian Schottenheimer just a year ago after losing faith in Mike McCarthy, whose five-season run ended with a disappointing 1–3 playoff record. Schottenheimer arrived carrying added credibility, having served as an offensive coordinator for multiple teams in the league.

Under him, the franchise ended the season with a poor 7-9-1 record. The defense was at the heart of their failures, ranking 30th in the NFL with 377 total yards allowed per game. This marked the first time in the team’s history that they had allowed a horrendous 30.1 points per game. The unit surrendered a team-record 511 points overall. 

One of the lowest defensive moments came in Week 2 when the New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson shredded the defense for 450 yards and three touchdowns. Brian Schottenheimer had previously revealed that the team regained trust in Eberflus when they won three straight games after Week 11. However, the next three losses and Vikings’ QB JJ McCarthy’s impressive performance sealed Matt’s fate. Meanwhile, the head coach wasn’t the only one who weighed in on Ebeflus’ exit.

Jerry Jones breaks the silence on dismissing Matt Eberflus

The New York Giants handed the Cowboys a lopsided 34–17 loss in Week 18, and the defeat clearly struck a nerve with Jerry Jones. Rather than placing the blame on defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the owner turned the criticism inward, openly questioning his own hiring decisions. Jones admitted he may have chosen the wrong defensive leadership over the past five or six years. By then, it seemed possible that Jones had already made up his mind on Eberflus.

Now that the season is over and he has had enough time to reflect, his stance has become firmer. While describing the 2025 season as a “roller coaster,” he didn’t hesitate to call out his former defensive coordinator.

“We were inconsistent on defense,” he said. “The Eberflus’ decision of not going forward with him was one of the hardest that I’ve been involved in in my time with the Dallas Cowboys. But at the end, I think it was the thing to do.”

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However, pinning all the blame on Eberflus isn’t entirely fair, as the roster had issues that predated his arrival. Jones’ issues with All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons persisted for months before the team finally shipped him to Green Bay. They tried to make up for the mistake by bringing in defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and veteran linebacker Logan Wilson.

However, the impact lasted for a few games before the Cowboys went back to their old ways in the last five games, giving up 30+ points in four of them. Whatever the case, the Cowboys will surely be focusing on building a better defense as their search for a new defensive coordinator continues.