Matt Eberflus' return to Cowboys continues owner Jerry Jones' uninspiring decisions

The Bears fired Eberflus after a disappointing run that ended with a 14-32 record and no playoff appearances. While Eberflus failed as a head coach, he has a good defensive mind, with his defenses ranking in the top half of the NFL in five different seasons, as the Cowboys note in their press release. All the defensive promise wasn't enough to make up for the dysfunction he oversaw in Chicago, however.

The moment that led to Eberflus' dismissal in Chicago was poor clock management at the end of the Bears' Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions.

Still, this move aligns with Schottenheimer's hiring as an uninspiring move for the floundering Cowboys. Last offseason, owner Jerry Jones promised that the team was "all-in" on being a Super Bowl contender, but since that comment, all his moves suggest otherwise. 

The Cowboys landed on their offensive coordinator, Schottenheimer, after they didn't immediately move on from former head coach Mike McCarthy and lost out on top candidates, like the Bears' new head coach Ben Johnson. 

When asked why Jones thought Schottenheimer, who has neither head-coaching experience nor an impressive coordinator resume, was the right man for the job, his answer wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

"If you don't think I can operate outside my comfort zone, you are so wrong," Jones said during Schottenheimer's introductory news conference. "This is as big a risk as you can take. No head-coaching experience."

The Cowboys hired Schottenheimer even though they had interviewed their other former offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, who is now Super Bowl-bound as the Philadelphia Eagles OC. Furthermore, their DC search seemed like it was always going to end with Eberflus, as Jones opted for another coach he had experience with. 

The Cowboys haven't returned to the conference championship game since the 1995 season and find themselves stuck in neutral. The 2024 season was a failure, with the team falling to 7-10 and missing the playoffs after three straight postseason appearances. While Eberflus will get to call plays for a defense headlined by All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons, there isn't much to suggest the Cowboys can be a dramatically different team.

They can be better than their 2024 record, especially if quarterback Dak Prescott is healthy for a full season, but the pieces they have are still the ones that haven't won them a trophy. To take that next step, the Cowboys might require a true organizational shakeup, but Jones is prioritizing familiarity over success instead.