Cowboys fire former Bears coach Matt Eberflus, who lasts 1 season as defensive coordinator

Former Bears coach Matt Eberflus has been fired again this time by the Cowboys as defensive coordinator. As expected, they dismissed him Tuesday after allowing more points than any other team in the NFL this season.

"It was clear that a change is needed," owner Jerry Jones said.

The Cowboys' next defensive coordinator will be their fourth in four seasons.

The Bears fired Eberflus in November 2024 after he went 14-32 in two and a half seasons. He quickly emerged as a defensive coordinator candidate for the Bengals, Falcons and Cowboys, and new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer brought him back to Dallas. Eberflus had been with the Cowboys as an assistant from 2011 through '17 before going to the Colts as defensive coordinator.

In his three seasons as Bears coach, Eberflus' defenses were ranked 29th, 12th and 27th. His handpicked defensive coordinator, Alan Williams, resigned in 2023 over misconduct, and Eberflus took over defensive play-calling for the remainder of his tenure.

Eberflus, 55, likely will have to start over as a position coach or take a coordinator job with a college program. He began his coaching career at Toledo, his alma mater, and was there from 1992 through 2000 before coaching at Missouri from 2001 through '08. He got his start in the NFL as the Browns' linebackers coach in 2009.