The Dallas Cowboys dropped their third game of the season to the Carolina Panthers. It was also their fifth game giving up 30 or more points. The Dallas defense ranks near the bottom of the league, and Matt Ebeflus’ seat continues to get hotter and hotter every week.
The Cowboys have never fired a defensive coordinator in the middle of a season, but right now that should not be ruled out. They have moved on quickly from guys like Mike Nolan and Mike Zimmer after one season, and Eberflus looks like he is next in line.
While it is not fully expected that they will fire him during the season, the Cowboys need to brace themselves to look for a new defensive coordinator again this offseason. These are a few candidates they should start looking at.
3 potential replacements for Cowboys’ DC Matt Eberflus
1. Al Harris
This is arguably the man who deserved the promotion after Zimmer walked away. Instead, Harris went to Chicago to be the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. If Eberflus is let go at the end of the season, Harris needs to get a call from his old team.
The biggest reason Harris should be considered is his development of two of the highest-paid players on the current Cowboys roster: Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. He arrived in Dallas in 2020 as the secondary coach and immediately helped turn Diggs into one of the league’s best corners in his second year.
In 2022, the team drafted Bland, who was a relatively unknown depth piece before bursting onto the scene in 2023. Filling in for an injured Diggs, he set the NFL record for most pick-sixes in a season. That is a true testament to Harris’ coaching.
Right now, both of those players are struggling to get used to Eberflus’ zone scheme. Diggs and Bland are man-to-man guys. Harris likely would be able to get them back to their true form if he were to come back to Dallas. A lot of players seemed to like him when he was here, and a lot still here are familiar with him.
Bringing back Harris would help turn this defense around in the secondary for sure. With no Micah Parsons to help take pressure off them, this unit is getting picked apart. Harris would be a good fit to help turn around this defense.
2. Ken Norton Jr.
This is a name Cowboy fans know well. Norton was a starting linebacker on the team during the 1990s and helped them win their first two Super Bowls during that era. Since his playing career ended in 2000, he has been an assistant for both USC and UCLA, as well as for the Seahawks and the Raiders, before landing with the Commanders in 2024.
Norton was a part of Pete Carroll’s staff when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in 2013 and helped develop players like Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright into stars. When he went to the Raiders, he helped turn Khalil Mack into an All-Pro.
Last year was his first as linebackers coach in Washington. He coached a group that was part of a defense that ranked 13th overall. That might not sound overly impressive, but considering where Dallas is ranked this year, middle of the pack is better than being at the bottom.
Norton might not be a familiar face with the current staff, but he has the experience, having been a defensive coordinator twice before. Bringing him in would be tremendous for the development of young players like DeMarvion Overshown and Marist Liufau. If the Cowboys want to generate some real buzz with this staff, hiring Norton would do that for the fanbase.
3. Aaron Whitecotton
Excluding the game against Carolina, the Cowboys’ run defense has improved a bit since Whitecotton arrived this year. Getting Kenny Clark helped, but this group has been okay for the most part in the middle. Promoting Whitecotton would be the safest route and arguably the best move if the team decides to fire Eberflus during the season.
Whitecotton has been climbing up the NFL coaching ladder since 2013. That year he became an assistant in Jacksonville where he stayed until 2017. He saw some success being a part of the Bills’ staff in 2017 when the team clinched their first playoff berth since 1999. The team also made the playoffs in 2019 while he served as the assistant defensive line coach.
After one year in San Francisco, Whitecotton became the defensive line coach for the Jets. The team improved defensively in 2022, finishing fourth in points and yards allowed. Under Whitecotton’s coaching, Quinnen Williams was named All-Pro and made his first Pro Bowl since being drafted in 2019.
While Whitecotton has not been part of a lot of coaching staffs with winning records, he has proven he can mentor players up front. That is a group Dallas needs to work on developing heavily in the wake of the Parsons trade.
When this defense was at its best, it was the pass rush that made the difference, taking pressure off the defensive backs to cover for long. Promoting Whitecotton would continue to help in the development of young players like Donovan Ezeiruaku. He might not be the obvious choice, but he should be considered if the team wants to move on from Eberflus.
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