It felt inevitable that the Dallas Cowboys were going to move on from Mike Zimmer this offseason. While Zimmer had the defense humming over the final several games, he did not commit to coaching another season and eventually announced his retirement.
It did not take long for Dallas to appoint Matt Eberflus as his replacement. Eberflus was circled as a defensive coordinator candidate the moment he was fired by the Chicago Bears.
Not only does Eberflus have a history with the Cowboys, but he's a smart defensive mind and flourished in his most recent stint as a defensive coordinator with the Colts. It was that success that led to him becoming the Bears head coach in 2022.
It did not go well for Eberflus in Chicago, but he will get his shot at revenge when the Cowboys visit Soldier Field in Week 3 in a game that will be in the familiar late afternoon slate on FOX.
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus will face the Bears in Week 3 this season
Eberflus did not cover himself in glory in his final days as Bears head coach.
Already sitting on a scalding hot seat, Eberflus seemingly lost the locker room after Chicago's awful Thanksgiving Day loss that culminated in Eberflus watching the final 32 seconds of regulation run off the clock with a timeout in hand. The Bears were not able to get a field goal off before the game ended. It was one of the most bizarre endings to a game you will ever see.
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Eberflus clearly was not cut out to be a head coach, but Chicago's defense was far from a turnstile during his tenure despite some glaring personnel shortcomings. They ranked No. 13 in scoring defense last season and No. 12 in total defense in 2023.
Eberflus will have much better personnel in Dallas, including perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons.
The front office made it a point to bolster the pass rush this offseason by signing Dante Fowler, drafting Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round and trading for former first-round pick Payton Turner. It has the potential to be a top-tier defense once the secondary is whole.
Eberflus will be out to prove a point this season not only to the Bears organization, but to the NFL after he was made out to be a laughingstock after the Thanksgiving debacle.