New year. New defense. The Dallas Cowboys effectively turned the page on the old season by bringing in an almost completely new coaching staff in 2025. While Brian Schottenheimer took the elevated role of head coach, all three coordinator positions saw churn.

With these changes, new schemes are expected. Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, has a clear style and scheme he’s expected to bring to Dallas. How that fits the personnel on hand remains to be seen but it’s clear he has some work to in both run stopping and pass defending.

Pass defense is today’s focus. The Cowboys gave up an average of 0.58 expected points per dropback in 2024 (13th). It was a significant decline from the -0.60 expected points they allowed the season before (5th). Going through the various position groups, the Cowboys didn’t excel in defending any single position last season.

Opposing receivers were especially deadly for the Cowboys. The 0.32 EPA/target allowed was eighth worst in the NFL. The injuries to Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland clearly impacted Dallas’ ability to matchup against opposing WRs and the numbers prove it.

Luckily for the Cowboys both starters are expected back at some point in 2025. Nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis may leave in free agency, but the Cowboys have Caelen Carson developing in the background who, with any luck, can mitigate that loss.

Opposing tight ends also had their way with the Cowboys defense. Their 0.23 EPA/target allowed ranked near the middle of the league. The Cowboys showed promise in this regard, but the revolving door at linebacker likely impacted Dallas’ ability to defend TEs.

Like the TE position, opposing running backs had success against Dallas at right around league average levels. The Cowboys allowed 0.09 EPA/target to RBs in 2024. It was a damaging number but a far cry from what WRs did to the Dallas defense.

Eberflus, a coach who prefers to keep players back in coverage on early downs, wants to minimize damage through the air. His bend-but-don’t break defense wants offenses to grind out yards rather than gain them in chunks. He’s likely to encourage short dump offs to RBs in his defense; it’s stopping the WRs who he’ll focus on stopping most in 2025.

Eberflus might be just what the doctor ordered for the Cowboys defense. For as unexciting as his typical scheme can be at times, it’s usually successful in its ability to minimize the big plays downfield that often target the wideouts.

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