Cowboys hire former Bears coach Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator

Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Jan 28, 2025

Published in Football

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FORT WORTH, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have hired Matt Eberflus as their new defensive coordinator and are expected to finalize a deal with Nick Sorensen as the special teams coordinator, according to multiple team sources to the Star-Telegram.

Eberflus will replace Mike Zimmer, who departs after just one season and is expected to retire, according to a report from WFAA’s Ed Werder. A former assistant in Dallas that served as the Cowboys’ linebackers coach from 2011-2017, Eberflus will now lead the defensive unit after a stint in Indianapolis serving as the Colts’ defensive coordinator (2018-2021) and a stint in Chicago serving as the Bears’ head coach (2022-2024).

After an unsuccessful tenure in Chicago that saw him post a 14-32 record in three seasons, he will now take a step back to coach the defense in Dallas as the only current coach on staff with head coaching experience.

Sorensen will replace John Fassel, who served as the Cowboys’ special teams coordinator for five seasons under Mike McCarthy before departing for Tennessee last week. He arrives from San Francisco, where he was the defensive coordinator for the 2024 season before being fired earlier this month.

He was formerly a special teams coordinator in Jacksonville and a defensive assistant in Seattle where he coached alongside Brian Schottenheimer.

The Cowboys are working to finalize both coordinator hires before heading to Mobile, Ala., to meet with potential assistant coaches at the Senior Bowl along with scouting the incoming college talent.