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.
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.
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.
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.
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.