The Dallas Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention with three weeks to go in the 2025 NFL season. Despite a good year from Dak Prescott, the lack of defensive production made it too difficult for Jerry Jones’ team to fight with the best teams in the league, even with a good offense.
The loss of Micah Parsons could justify the poor defensive performance, traded just before the season after a contract standoff with Jones. However, the Cowboys were at historic lows for the franchise, and no one was satisfied with the job of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Jerry Jones Hints at Possible Firing of Matt Eberflus After Awful Season
Before the start of the Cowboys’ Week 18 game against the New York Giants, Jones spoke to reporters about what’s to come for Eberflus when the season is over. And he wasn’t keen on guaranteeing that he would return for a second season.
Jones, who did not hide his disappointment with the defense in multiple instances, told reporters that it was “inaccurate” to evaluate Eberflus in the wake of this season. However, he also did not commit to his return in 2026, which, in NFL terms, typically indicates that he’ll be released.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on what’s ahead for evaluating the defense as it pertains to DC Matt Eberflus:
“It is inaccurate to put this on the evaluation of Eberflus. It really is, because I don’t want it to sound like it’s as simple as evaluating Eberflus. It’s much broader than…
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) January 4, 2026
Eberflus was also a victim of the situation regarding Parsons. He spent the past three seasons as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, but the team didn’t progress as he wanted. When he joined the Cowboys, he expected to work with Parsons. However, the superstar was traded just before the start of the season.
Even the addition of Quinnen Williams midway through the season did not provide much help. By then, the Cowboys already had a significant deficit inside the NFC East against the Philadelphia Eagles, who clinched the division title in Week 16. This will be the second straight year without playoffs in Dallas.
Our PFSN Defense Impact Metric ranks the Cowboys’ defense as the worst in the league, sitting at No. 32 with an Impact Score of just 61.0. The lack of talent is an issue, but when you have the worst defense in the league, something’s got to change, and Eberflus is likely to be out.
