Stephen Jones on coordinator hires, OC search, alignment in Cowboys organization
MOBILE, Ala. – As Stephen Jones and the Cowboys brass evaluate NFL draft prospects in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, he’s also been busy working to fill out the rest of Brian Schottenheimer’s staff.
Strides have been made in that department, starting on Tuesday when the Cowboys brought a familiar face back to Dallas as their defensive coordinator in Matt Eberflus. Eberflus, who coached in Dallas from 2011-2017.
“I think if you look it up, you’re going to see that his defenses are always at the tops in terms of where his defenses rank, whether it’s total yards, whether it’s yards allowed, whether it’s turnovers, all the things that are key to winning football games.” Jones said.
“He checks those boxes and to be able to get him to be a partner with Coach Schottenheimer, I think is huge for the Dallas Cowboys and our future.”
Prior to rejoining the Cowboys, Eberflus was the head coach for the Chicago Bears for three seasons. Not only does he bring defensive prowess with him to Dallas, but he also brings head coaching experience, something that can benefit first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“I think that helps… I think that’s all the more important,” Jones said. “And he’s had his bumps and he knows the pros and the kind, all the good that comes with it, and he also knows the challenges. And I think he’ll be there for at the end of the day for Coach Schottenheimer and I think he’ll do a great job for him.”
On the defensive side of the football, Jones is a believer in how Eberflus views the players that the Cowboys have on their roster and sees the vision of how his defense will operate.
“Matt sees a defense that’s going to play with a lot of energy,” Jones said. “It can be a tough word, but in our game that’s what it’s all about, is play with violence and do what we need to do on the defensive side of the ball to win football games.”
“He sees a vision for our great players, whether it’s a Micah, whether it’s a Trevon Diggs, whether it’s DaRon Bland, whether it’s Mazi [Smith], he sees all the upside there and how that’s going to fit into what he, at the end of the day, what he does.”
The Cowboys also made a decision on their special teams coordinator, hiring Nick Sorensen, who was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. Sorensen coached special teams in Seattle and Jacksonville at earlier stops in his career, and now returns to the third phase of the game in Dallas.
“He’s versatile…He’s been a great special teams coach, but he’s also been a great defensive coordinator in this league,” Jones said. “He’s a coacher of men and that’s the type of people you look for, guys who can lead men get their play style to where we need to have it to win championships.
