The Dallas Cowboys' defense has been a disaster from the onset, and to cap it all off, Jerry Jones has released his former All-Pro cornerback after a full season of disappointment.
Despite Trevon Diggs’ uneven play and injuries this season, he wasn’t the root of the Cowboys’ defensive collapse. The blame falls largely on Matt Eberflus, Dallas’ third defensive coordinator in as many years.
Diggs’ release before the Week 18 finale reads like the prelude to a bigger decision from Jerry Jones. At this point, fans are just waiting for the season to end so the inevitable can unfold.
Firing Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus should be Jerry Jones' next course of action after releasing Trevon Diggs
Diggs and Eberflus were never a match, and the fact that an All-Pro didn’t even make it through the season says plenty. Diggs is out, and if Jones is serious about fixing this defense, Eberflus should be next.
There is a paper trail of evidence as to why Eberflus should be fired. The Cowboys' defense has hovered around the worst in the NFL, along with the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals. Jones started the year defending Eberflus, but his tone has changed dramatically over the last month. Unfortunately, firing coaches during the season isn't in Jones' DNA.
That only happened once when then-head coach Wade Phillips was fired during the 2010 season, after a disastrous start with a team that had Super Bowl hopes. Jones regrets not allowing Phillips to finish out the season, so we shouldn't expect Jones to fire Eberflus with one game out.
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In recent weeks, Jones has all but signaled he's done with Eberflus. Not even a Christmas win over the Commanders softened his stance.
The defense looked flat, and he was baffled that Logan Wilson didn’t play a snap. It was seemingly agreed upon before the game that Wilson would play a good chunk of snaps. Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and even Brian Schottenheimer were confused as to why the veteran linebacker never saw the field. The writing has been on the wall for a while regarding Eberflus, but the Wilson mishap may go down as the straw that broke the camel's back.
The defense is already set to be torn down after 2025, and there’s no reason Eberflus shouldn’t follow Diggs out the door after Sunday's game against the New York Giants.