Much like when he was the Bears‘ coach, Matt Eberflus didn’t say much in his first media availability as Cowboys defensive coordinator Tuesday.
Most of that session was dominated by questions about fixing the Cowboys’ defense and his plans for superstar linebacker Micah Parsons. When asked about his time coaching the Bears, Eberflus said he learned “a lot” in three seasons.
“You want to learn and grow from every experience and impart that wisdom onto the next crew, and that’s what we’re going to do here,” he said. “You learn a bunch of things that are different and things that you grow from, and that’s important to do.”
Eberflus spent four seasons as Colts defensive coordinator before the Bears hired him in 2022. He went 14-32, the third-worst record in franchise history, before the team fired him in November.
Eberflus interviewed with the Falcons and Bengals for their openings at defensive coordinator, but both teams passed on him. When the Cowboys named Brian Schottenheimer head coach, Eberflus quickly became the favorite to be his defensive coordinator. He coached seven seasons as a Cowboys assistant before going to the Colts.
“I know the community, I know the fanbase, and it’s exciting to be back,” Eberflus said. “That’s what excites me the most: the fan base, the players that we get to work with and working with [owner Jerry Jones and his] family and Brian Schottenheimer.”
The Bears replaced Eberflus by hiring former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson last month. The only assistants from Eberflus’ staff that Johnson retained were special teams coordinator Richard Hightower and tight ends coach Jim Dray.