Brian Schottenheimer was clear that the postmortem discussions after the Cowboys’ disappointing 7-9-1 season wouldn’t wait.
“It starts immediately,” he told reporters Sunday just after his first regular campaign as head coach ended with a hollow thud, a 34-17 season-ending loss to the Giants.
But he also suggested that there would be no real hurry to make any sweeping changes, even when it comes to embattled defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. The Cowboys defense gave up 511 points over the course of the season, the most in franchise history. And that’s not just an asterisked byproduct of a 17-game schedule; the per-game average- 30- that Dallas gave up in 2025 was the highest ever by a Cowboys defense, and by a fair margin.
Even still, and despite strong indications over the last month that a change may be coming, don’t expect Eberflus to be a casualty of the so-called “Black Monday” coaching purge. Schottenheimer plans to follow a methodical schedule of exit interviews for the entire roster of players first, and then use that feedback as part of the coaching staff’s evaluations.
The process will drive the decisions.
“My belief is it becomes very clear,” he explained, “what you want to do and what you need to do.”
And that, he hinted, could take the better part of the next two weeks.
“I don’t think you rush into any of these decisions,” Schottenheimer said. “I think you’ve got to go through the process, and you’ve got to do the work. And the work is not easy. The work is tedious, and we’re going to be working just as hard over this week and the next 10 to 12 days to get through all that stuff just so we feel good about everything.”
Names have been swirling for weeks about potential 2026 replacements for Eberflus, but that list is sure to grow over the next- apparently- 10 to 12 days. Other teams have already begun culling their staffs, with Atlanta’s Raheem Morris and Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski getting the axe just hours after their seasons ended.
It’s all part of what happens this time every year in the NFL, as Schottenheimer knows all too well, after sideline stints with nine teams dating back to 1997.
“‘Flus is a really good defensive coach. But we’re going to go through the process, and that’s with everybody, starting with myself and Klayton [Adams] and Nick [Sorensen] and ‘Flus and the players. And you take this time and the players understand that we’re going to have these meetings and there’s going to be a lot of hard conversations, in a good way.”
There will be changes coming to Dallas. No team has zero turnover after a season, much less one that was so bitterly disappointing on one side of the ball.
But for now, Matt Eberflus remains the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys. And Brian Schottenheimer is going to take the heat directed at his guys right up until the moment that they’re not his guys any longer.
“As you look at the way the game went today, we put him on a short field, and the time of possession got flipped around, but we’re going to look at everything. At the end of the day, we didn’t win enough games, and that starts with me. I’m responsible for that, and that’s where we’ll start.”
Getting to the finish, however, may take 10 to 12 days.
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys’ Schottenheimer hints at extended timeline for evaluating Eberflus, rest of staff
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
