The Dallas Cowboys might not have the worst defense in franchise history, but it's in the conversation with the dumpster fire that was 2020. The continued struggles have sparked difficult conversations about Matt Eberflus' future. The vast majority of Cowboys fans would have liked to see him fired weeks ago
Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith has an opinion on the matter. Speaking with RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys, Smith urged Brian Schottenheimer to reevaluate Eberflus after the season. Smith tried to sugarcoat it, but he does not think Eberflus is cut out for the job.
"I think Brian Schottenheimer probably wants to take an evaluation of his defensive coordinator," Smith said. "And I think Mike Zimmer, who sits out there right now, could be a great asset ... I think there are some defensive coordinators I believe that we should go get, because I don't think the one we have right now is maximizing the talent that we actually have and putting the talent in a position to win ... "
Smith thinks the Cowboys can build a respectable defense in 2026 -- maybe even a good one -- if the assets acquired from the Micah Parsons trade are put to good use. But he doesn't want Eberflus to be the one mixing those ingredients.
It's hard to argue with Smith's analysis.
It should not have taken Eberflus until the ninth game to start Donovan Ezeiruaku and Jadeveon Clowney. It's been clear for over a month that Ezeiruaku and Clowney are Dallas' best edge rushers, and yet it took until Week 9 for them to get the majority of snaps. And he exacerbated that decision by refusing to call more five-man rushes.
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We've seen fewer communication breakdowns in the secondary compared to the start of the season, but receivers are still catching passes with no defender within 10 yards. Even a high school quarterback could pick apart the soft spots in Eberflus' zone, given how much cushion the DBs are conceding at the line of scrimmage
Entering Week 11, the Cowboys rank 31st with a 0.172 defensive EPA and 31st with a 50.1 percent defensive success rate, per RBSDM. They are also 30th or worse in dropback EPA, dropback success rate, rushing EPA, and rushing success rate. Whether a team drops back to pass or runs the ball, Dallas hasn't had any answers.
If there is any defense case for Eberflus, the Cowboys' defensive personnel is arguably the worst in the entire NFL. The additions of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, coupled with the returns of DeMarvion Overshown and Shavon Revel, should help significantly.
The final eight games can serve as an audition for Eberflus to prove he deserves to keep the job. With four new starters on defense, he should be able to deliver better results. If it's more of the same, though, it'll be impossible to make a credible case for his return.