There's a big misunderstanding about new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and it's time to clear it up

There's no question Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus' background widely differs from Dan Quinn's and Mike Zimmer's. That's why many expect the Cowboys defense to look vastly different in 2025.

But the closer you look, the more it seems like Dallas will stay relatively the same on that side of the ball. A big reason why is one of the biggest misunderstandings about Eberflus' style: His blitzing habits.

I will be the first to admit, I originally fell into the trap of the "Eberflus doesn't blitz" narrative. In fact, when I initially wrote my reaction to the Cowboys reuniting with their former linebacker coach, that was my first takeaway. 

To be fair, the numbers sort of backed it up: "As defensive coordinator of the Colts, he ranked 29th, 27th, 31st, and 29th in blitz rate, according to Pro Football Reference," I pointed out then. 

But what I failed to realize is that in 2024, he and the Cowboys pretty much blitzed at the same rate. According to MatchQuarters, the Eberflus-led Bears ranked 9th in the NFL in blitz rate through Week 13 of last season (when Chicago fired him). In the same time span, for pass plays only, the Bears ranked 12th in blitz rate, ranking higher than Dallas (19th). 

The big difference is how the Bears blitzed. 

Eberflus blitzed differently than Zimmer and Quinn, but he did

While Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer were unafraid to rush with six or more defenders, Eberflus was more conservative when turning on the heat. Cody Alexander wrote on MatchQuarters that "74% of the Bears’ pressures were of the five-man variety, above league average." 

The Cowboys used six defenders in 17% of their blitzes and seven-plus defenders in 3.8%. For the Bears, those numbers were 11.4% and 0% respectively (through Week 13). 

In other words, Eberflus will blitz from "safer" looks, which is also reflected by playing less man coverage than Quinn and Zimmer did. 

Another important aspect of Eberflus' pass rush is that his units are effective when they stunt, even though they rarely do (ranked 22nd in stunt rate). The Bears were the fourth-best team in pressure rate when using stunts, per PFF's Dalton Wasserman: 

"The Bears struggled overall to generate pressure, but found relative success when stunting under Matt Eberflus. That could be particularly interesting to the Dallas Cowboys, who led the league in pass-rush grade and ranked second in pass-rush win rate when running stunts last season. It’s a stylistic overlap that could bode well for Dallas in 2025."

The key for Eberflus to unlock Cowboys' pass rush

Great coaches adapt to their personnel. Simply put, Eberflus will need to be willing to turn up the aggression because the Cowboys have been so ridiculously successful through blitzing to free up Parsons and avoid double teams. 

Eberflus will have to find that balance before the season starts, while adjusting as he goes as the new leader of the Cowboys defense.