FRISCO, Texas – After trying to unpack a 67-minute press conference here at The Star on Wednesday, with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, co-owner Stephen Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer answering any and all media questions from a jam-packed room, still trying to decide my feelings about the team moving on from defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Deserved or not deserved? Warranted or merely the fall guy?
My feelings oscillate between yes and then no.
And maybe, with the help of Daryl Johnston, an outspoken proponent of retaining Flus after one of the absolute worse defensive performances in franchise history, DJ provided me with a reasonable response when speaking during a local radio segment, explaining his feeling this way:
"I'm not surprised but am disappointed."
That's me in a nutshell.
And still think Flus was handed an unenviable short stick, no fault of his own, being placed unfairly in a no-win situation because no matter what he tried, no matter what adjustments he was making, reminded me of that old saying about not having the necessary ingredients (OK, cleaned it up) to make "chicken salad."
But then here is the other part, as bad a job Mike Nolan did in 2020 or Rob Ryan did in 2011-12, the Cowboys this season set the franchise inauspicious record with the 511 points yielded to opponents. They also finished with just 35 sacks, the fewest since the 2020 and 2015 seasons of 31 but also with only 12 takeaways, fewest since the 11 of 2015.
And then there is this: After such a struggle on defense, coming back with the same guy, same voice, same message, that could grow stale. Can remember after the 1997 season, the final of four years with Barry Switzer as head coach, the Cowboys losing the final five games to finish 6-10, their first losing season since the 7-9 of 1990. Was walking past offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese in a hallway at The Ranch after the last 20-7 loss to the Giants when the veteran coach said this to me:
"We are out of here, all of us."
Not you, too, was my response.
"Sometimes," Ernie said, cutting right to the chase, "you have to have a new voice."
There is that.
But as for Eberflus, here is what he unexpectedly had to deal with, the team's best laid defensive plans scuttled a week before the start of the season and really for the next 18 weeks. And we start with the trade of sack leader Micah Parsons on Aug. 29, seven days before the season opener.
If we count Parsons missing 17 games, and string together player games missed because of injuries, trades, being released, poor play and tragedy, here is the group of guys missing multiple games:
DaRon Bland (6), Trevon Diggs (9), Kaiir Elam (7), Marshawn Kneeland (10), Jadeveon Clowney (6), Mazi Smith (12), Shavon Revel (9), Caelan Carson (9) and DeMarvion Overshown (11).
Know what that comes to? Try 106 games missed. That's a lot to compensate for. So when head coach Brian Schottenheimer points to the "inconsistency" for the defensive disconnect, why, these missed games juggling a lineup had a whole lot to do with that. And you,too, might be able to guess which unit suffered the most:
Cornerback.
Your projected top two corners, former Pro Bowlers Bland and Diggs combined for 15 of those 106 missed games, neither finishing on the 53-man roster at the end of the season. Bland landed on injured reserve, scheduled for foot surgery, and Diggs was outright released for poor play and knowing they were not going to retain him for the 2026 season, ensuring he was healthy going out the door.
Then factor in Carson missing those nine games, injuries mounting for him during training camp. Then a miscalculation of Revel actually being ready to play sooner than the rookie did, returning from his torn ACL suffered back the third week of the East Carolina season. Also maybe hoping more than anything else Elam's new environment would aid the Bills' 2022 first-round draft choice's ability to upgrade his previous disappointing play. Not so much.
And even Jerry Jones admitted after the lengthy press conference the Cowboys miscalculated the free-agency departure of slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis. The eight-year veteran was sorely missed. None of the Cowboys' top-three corners from 2022 moving forward through 2024 finished the season on the team's active roster.
"We got let down in the secondary. That's a combination of wishful thinking on Revel coming along," Jones said, adding, "We were surprised with how we ended up with Diggs, Bland (injury), and a combination with our safeties. We lost the nickel (Lewis), which hurt us more than what we thought. The nickel was a serious loss for us. It made a big difference not having him out there. We've got to get better.
"I'd high-point the secondary."
Got that right, me, already been doing just that.
• Next DC Up: That the Cowboys will hire a new defensive coordinator for the 2026 season means they will have a sixth defensive coordinator in the past eight years, going back to Rod Marinelli's last season with the team in 2019. Then it's been Mike Nolan for one year in 2020, Dan Quinn for three seasons (2021-23) before getting hired by Washington as head coach, Mike Zimmer for the 2024 season and Flus for 2025. And now …
• Priorities, Priorities: The Joneses did not pull any punches on just what their offseason personnel priorities are going forward: re-signing three of their own impending unrestricted free agents: wide receiver George Pickens, running back Javonte Williams and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Me, I'll second the motion. At this point, the Cowboys have an estimated $23 million available for their top 51 of a 90-man roster. That before they pay Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb renegotiated bonuses to lower their impending base salaries for 2026 that are scheduled to count $40 million and $25 million, respectively. But then again, they can't break the bank for any one of them if they want all three.
• Forward Thinking: Stephen Jones was asked what if the Cowboys can't re-sign Pickens to a long-term deal that creates a more friendly 2026 cap hit by prorating a signing bonus over like three to five years? Or if they can't afford the one-year guaranteed franchise tag projected to cost $28 million for wide receivers and lose him in free agency? Jones pointed out the Cowboys already thought through that scenario, figuring they can recoup the third-round draft choice traded away to Pittsburgh to acquire Pickens by likely receiving a third-round compensatory pick in 2027 for losing a Pro Bowl receiver in free agency. Nice, though Pickens played like a first-round pick, for sure.
• Pure Board: It's pretty obvious the Cowboys could use – might need to use – their two first-round picks for defensive help. You name the position, they need it, short maybe now atdefensive tackle after acquiring Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams. But when asked if they will lean toward defensive players when putting their draft board together, Stephens Jones replied, "No, that's where I think you make your biggest mistakes," reminding he's an advocate of a "pure board." And Stephen quickly reminds of the 2020 NFL Draft when with the 17th pick the plan was to go defense in the first round, but there landing in their laps was now four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who they quickly pivoted to claim.
• Valued Exes: Teams leave no stone unturned when searching for their next head coach,and seems no one has forgotten about Cowboys ex-head coaches Jason Garett and Mike McCarthy. Garrett will interview for the Tennessee head coach job, the Titans likely looking for someone to bring along this past draft's first pick, quarterback Cam Ward. And McCarthy,another noted QB whisperer, is interviewing for the Giants' vacant position, knowing they need a strong influence on their young passer Jaxson Dart.
• Short-Hanging Tidbits: Let's not forget when Marinelli took over the defense in 2014 from Monte Kiffin, the Cowboys went from the 32nd ranked defense to 19, then 17, 14, 8, 7 and 9 for head coach Jason Garrett, something the Cowboys would take in a heartbeat for 2026 … And while Quinn improved the Cowboys defense in each of his three seasons from the 23rd ranking in 2020 to 19, 12 and five, they still continued to struggle stopping the run. Not only did the Cowboys give up those 48 points to the Packers in that first-round playoff loss of 2023, but they were unable to stop the run in all three of his playoff games, the Niners going for 169 and two touchdowns, 113 and one TD the next year and 143 and three to the Packers, Jerry reminding all that under Quinn, "We couldn't stop the run when it came to nut-cutting time." … And whoever gets the Cowboys next DC position, a priority will be fixing the defense's third-downbreakdowns, opposing teams converting at a 47.3 percent rate, ranking dead last in 2025 and worst in the franchise's 66-season history, a rather unbelievable statistic.
And for this week's last word, we go to Stephen Jones. On a recent Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East episode on HBO, when asked about the franchise's succession plan following Jerry, he expressed his desire to end the Cowboys' 30-year Super Bowl drought with his dad alongside him.
"That's what we want to get done," Stephen said at Wednesday's press conference when asked about his response. "I mean, I know whether it's his gold jacket, all the things he's accomplished, from the value of this franchise, I think he'd give a lot of that up for one more Super Bowl. And it's not just me. It's my brother (Jerry Jr.), it's my sister (Charlotte), it's Schotty, it's Will (McClay). Everybody in this organization wants to get the job done.
"And obviously winning a Super Bowl when you're in sports of any kind, whether whatever sport it is, whatever level it is, to win a championship is the ultimate prize in terms of what you're shooting for. Over the finances, over the individual accolades, everything should be about winning a championship. My son (John Stephen) did it in high school. It was the ultimate. Whenever a college team wins a championship, I mean, you never forget it. I mean, Jerry said he lives with that (Arkansas) national championship to this day.
"They can't take it away from you, and certainly what we want do is get one more for sure."
And leave it to the 83-year-old Jerry to lighten up the room by saying, "Well now, I don't mind telling you, I'm a little uncomfortable with the little way this conversation's rolling around here."
Oh, that Jerry.
