Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus to move from sideline to booth for remainder of season
With three games remaining in the season, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will be moving from the sideline — where he has coached the first 14 games of the year — to the coaches’ booth for the rest of the year.
Eberflus confirmed the move on Thursday after coming to the decision with head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“Going forward, some of the adjustments and changes that we talked about, Schotty and I, are that I’m going to go up to the booth and call the game,” Eberflus said. “I think that’s a really good thing. We talked it through. I’ve done it before. It’s a chance for me to get good perspective, get good information, see the game develop in terms of the view on the sideline. So, I’m going to go upstairs and call from up there. It’s going to be a good adjustment.”
A decision that had been mulled over prior to this week, Eberflus will return to the booth for the first time since 2010 when he was the linebackers coach for the Cleveland Browns. It will be the first time that he’s called plays from the booth.
“Calling the game from up there is great perspective,” he said. “You can see the game unfold. You can see everybody’s job. Because sometimes when you’re on the sideline, you can see the near sideline but you can’t see the opposite sideline sometimes. You’ll be able to see everything unfolding, and personnel will come quicker to me.”
On the field, Eberflus will rely on his defensive assistants to handle any adjustments on the sideline. The leader of that movement will be defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton.
“Each guy has their area,” Eberflus said. “Whitecotton will be the guy that spearheads that and brings the guys together to make adjustments in terms of the totality. That’s pretty quick, and then you get with your position groups on the sideline to make your adjustments.”
This decision comes as Eberflus’ defense has been at the center of the criticism around the Cowboys’ lack of success this season. Through 15 weeks, Dallas has the 29th-ranked defense in yards allowed (374.9 per game) and the 31st-ranked defense in points allowed (30.0 per game).
On Tuesday morning, owner Jerry Jones said that Eberflus’ performance in the final three games of the season is “a big criteria” in determining his future in Dallas.
For Eberflus, he knows the criticism exists, but he’s remained focused on the week-to-week of the job.
“You focus on your job and look at where your feet are,” Eberflus said. “You got to really do a great job of compartmentalizing everything, and that’s with success, too. When you have major success and you’re winning a lot of games, that’s the same thing. You got to block those things out. You have to focus on your job and the opponent you’re playing.”
When asked if he would like a vote of confidence from ownership, he didn’t lean into it too much.
“I don’t look for a vote of confidence,” he said. “That’s a hypothetical. It’s the NFL, you just have to do a good job. Focus on this week.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM.
