The Cowboys will look for yet another new coordinator to try to fix their defense.

Matt Eberflus was fired as the team’s defensive coordinator Tuesday morning after just one season, according to multiple reports, meaning Dallas is in need of its fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons.

“Having known Matt Eberflus for decades now, we have tremendous respect and appreciation for him as a coach and a person. After reviewing and discussing the results of our defensive performance this season, though, it was clear that change is needed,” owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. “This is the first step in that process and we will continue that review as it applies to reaching our much higher expectations.”

The 55-year-old was dealt a surprising blow right before the season when Jones traded Micah Parsons to the Packers, and Dallas ended up allowing the most points per game in the NFL at 30.1.

Their 511 points allowed were the most in team history.

Their 377 yards allowed per game were the third-most in the league, and their 251.5 yards passing allowed per game were the most in the NFL.

Eberflus was in his second stint with the Cowboys, having been their linebackers coach from 2011-15 and adding passing-game coordinator duties in 2016 and ’17.

He was previously the Bears head coach for two-plus seasons, getting fired midway through the 2024 season.

The Cowboys finished a disappointing 7-9-1 this season in Brian Schottenheimer’s first year as head coach and missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, in large part thanks to their porous defense.

The zone-heavy scheme under Eberflus never seemed to fit with personnel that was more familiar with man-to-man coverage, leading to blown assignments and plenty of open space in the secondary. Plus, the pass rush struggled without Parsons.

Eberflus moved to the coaching booth from the sideline with three games remaining, but the results didn’t change much.

“I don’t really think about it that way,” Eberflus said when asked before the season finale what he might have done differently. “I think about being in the moment and just keep adjusting and learning and growing and getting better. I don’t think I’d do anything differently.”

Eberflus wasn’t the first Cowboys coordinator that was one-and-done after one season.

Mike Zimmer was one-and-done as the team’s defensive coordinator last year, and Dan Quinn left after the 2023 season to become the Commanders’ head coach.

— with AP