As the Dallas Cowboys get ready for their season finale on Sunday, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ future remains a storyline. The Cowboys have had an up-and-down year on that side of the ball, and team EVP Stephen Jones addressed where the defense stands.

Eberflus’ hire was a key one for new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer. He spent the last three seasons as the Chicago Bears’ head coach before his firing mid-year in 2024, and Schottenheimer quickly named him defensive coordinator.

However, Jones called for the defense to have an identity as the Cowboys look ahead to 2026. In the process of his answer on 105.3 The Fan, he said that needs to happen with Eberflus or “whoever” will be coordinator, appearing to cast doubt on the defensive coordinator’s future.

“Bottom line, we need an identity on the defensive side of the ball. I don’t think we established that this year,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Whether it’s Coach (Matt) Eberflus or whoever it is, we have to create an identity.

“I think everybody would say that Coach (Brian) Schottenheimer has a ton of energy, he’s very authentic and has an identity. We’ve got to play to that in all three phases. I think we did in one phase (offense) this year. I don’t know that we established that in the other two phases (defense, special teams).”

Dallas enters Week 18 with the most points allowed in the NFL and the third-most yards allowed. It’s been an interesting year for the defense, which had to adapt after Micah Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers just before the season. The Cowboys also added to the defensive line with the addition of Quinnen Williams, who joined fellow newcomer Kenny Clark – the returning player in the Parsons trade.

Eberflus also made changes, himself. He went from coaching on the sideline to the booth late in the season, hoping to find something to get the defense firing on all cylinders. But the scheme has drawn criticism throughout the year, including from owner Jerry Jones.

“Make no mistake about it, everybody had their finger in what we did out there defensively,” Jones said this week. “Everybody. It’s not just a one-man blame at all. I say that because therein lies what you have to sit down and figure out, what, if anything, you want to change. We’ll get to that pronto. Everybody involved in this thing, I’m sure, has been thinking ahead about how to adjust out of our results this year.

“The main thing in football is that it is rare when you have one coach or one player that is the cause or the solution to the problem. That’s the main thing I’d like to emphasize to anybody listening. We’re trying to solve the problem and try to get better where we are. One guy is not going to do that.”