After selecting Brian Schottenheimer as Dallas’s next head coach, the front office turned to an old friend to be his defensive coordinator. Matt Eberflus, the former Bears head coach and long-time Cowboys assistant, is on his way back home.
While things didn’t work out as the top dog in Chicago, Eberflus is known as an elite defensive coordinator; he could turn the Dallas defense into one of the best units in the league.
Bears defense before and after the Matt Eberflus firing:
Before: -0.05 EPA/play allowed (9th in the league)
After: 0.09 EPA/play allowed (26th in the league)
Just don’t let him near the offense or QB or game management and you’re probably in good shape. https://t.co/Lppi6rTyBm
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) January 11, 2025
However, he will need influence on player personnel to do that.
You can’t bring in a coach and expect him to succeed without allowing him to get his guys. Eberflus will need this defense to fit his specific scheme.
With the entire offseason ahead, the Cowboys can give him that luxury in a few different ways: the re-signing period, free agency, and the 2025 NFL Draft.
Looking at each of those offseason events, let’s see how hiring Eberflus can make an impact on the Cowboys’ offseason plans.
Re-Sign Period: Osa Odighizuwa Extension
Last night, Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein reported that Dallas will look to extend soon-to-be free-agent, Defensive Tackle Osa Odighizuwa. That would be a major contract for the Cowboys to dole out, but it may be a necessity.
Some great nuggets from Jori here:
– “The Cowboys will also look to extend pending free-agent defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, a homegrown talent whom [Stephen] Jones characterizes as a “priority” in their free-agent course of business pending Eberflus’ evaluation.” (@JohnOwning… https://t.co/D3dPXGsZmE
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) January 29, 2025
Odighizuwa, 26, has emerged as one of the best young defensive tackles in the league, and with Dallas already weak at the position, they can’t afford to lose him.
The former third-round pick out of UCLA has been improving consistently for years.
He hasn’t missed a start since his rookie season, he just reached a new career-high in sacks, total tackles, and quarterback hits, and his presence as a leader in the locker room is growing by the year.
Waving goodbye to that kind of player with a new regime coming would be a mistake.
Matt Eberflus may be the reason the front office pays up after all and retains Osa Odighizuwa going forward.
Free Agency: Byron Cowart Follows Eberflus
One offseason ago, Eberflus pursued journeyman Byron Cowart to fill the defensive tackle spot in Chicago.
Heading into this offseason, Cowart is coming off a career-high in sacks, quarterback hits, and tackles for loss. It seems he fits into Eberflus’ defense pretty well.
Cowart is only 28, and would likely be a low-cost signing for the Cowboys.
Every snap #Bears DT Byron Cowart played against the Texans. He was the highest graded player on the defense. pic.twitter.com/WTzTxmsupi
— ImBearingDown (@ImBearingDown) August 3, 2024
Those two traits are at the top of the front office’s wishlist for free agents, and in an offseason where they’ve promised a “tight budget,” a cheap signing may be the only kind of signing the organization pursues.
Things didn’t work out for Eberflus in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean players who saw success in his scheme will be against a reunion, especially for a player like Cowart.
He was essentially out of the league at the time of his signing.
Why would you not follow the coach who improved you to his new team, considering they also have a major need at defensive tackle, even with an Odighizuwa return.
NFL Draft: Defensive Prioritized in April?
If we look at the Bears’ draft history under Eberflus, it features some major hits on defensive talent. Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Tyrique Stevenson have completely turned around the Chicago secondary.
Except for the 2024 class, where the Bears added Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, Eberflus has, naturally, pursued defensive players.
While an offensive coach in Schottenheimer is the top man on the staff, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the front office consider a more defensive approach come April.
With a healthy Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb on offense, things will be alright no matter what.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1741274584849244517
They could easily find a starting running back in the later rounds, they already loaded up on the offensive line last draft, and could add an inexpensive free agent, like an aging Stefon Diggs, to the wide receiver room.
Dallas has committed to Matt Eberflus for a reason, so whether in the draft or earlier in the offseason, they need to invest in the defense.
Odighizuwa is good, not one of the young best. He is not worth the amount of money it would take to keep him. He will get overpaid to leave. Waiting for a RB in the later rounds in a weaker RB class is how they got into the mess they are in now. Hopefully with Schotty, they will go for a better backfield than the last few years.
I hear your argument. Osa may not be the best player at his position, but he’s the best DT the club currently has.
There’s also the problem of no quality depth at either the 1-tech or 3-tech positions. And the DT FA market for 2025 will be very weak, so Stephen must do everything in his power to get Osa extended.
The jury’s still out about Mazi. He did show some signs of improvement in 2024, but nothing that really jumps off the page, so to speak.
Maybe Eberflus will be able to do what the previous two DC’s haven’t been able to do, and that’s to make Mazi better, or at the very least, more serviceable and consistent.
Crossing my fingers. And toes, too! LOL