The Indianapolis Colts have a bunch of former defensive coordinators working in the NFL. Many are still DCs with their new teams, but one or two might have been worth keeping around in Indy. After all, was it the scheme that was the issue or the players?
Even in 2025, as good as Indianapolis has been for most of the season, the defensive statistics aren't exactly great. Lou Anarumo's unit has the third-most missed tackles (90), is 14th in yards allowed per play (5.2), and 19th in total yards allowed. But is the problem Anarumo?
Unlikely. The DC has had to make the most of a unit that has struggled greatly with injuries. The team now has cornerback Sauce Gardner, but has lost DeForest Buckner for a bit. In other words, among the many former Indy DCs, many might have been forced to move on because of the talent they had.
Former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus succeeding against all odds
Not Matt Eberflus, though. He chose to leave. He was offered the Chicago Bears head coaching position after the 2021 season and took it. After all, Chicago had nowhere to go but up, and if the team wanted to go with a defensive-forward approach, Eberflus appeared to be a good start.
Unfortunately, after nearly three miserable seasons, Eberflus was fired during the 2024 season. He was the first Bears coach to have his time with the team end that way. He was teamless and could have gone a bit without a head coach or coordinator job.
The Dallas Cowboys took a risk on him this past offseason, though. The issue for Matt Eberflus was that Dallas would trade edge rusher Micah Parsons before the season, taking away Eberflus's best player, not re-signing DeMarcus Lawrence, and the secondary would suffer multiple injuries.
Eberflus seems to have taken a job that was doomed to fail. He has made sure that didn't happen.
Dallas was struggling with multiple parts of the team early in the 2025 season, and many national pundits had written off the team after the Parsons move. Instead, Eberflus got creative defensively after the team acquired Quinnen Williams, adjusting his alignments and confusing opponents.
After allowing at least 410 total yards four times and at least 30 points five times in the Cowboys' first eight games, Dallas has allowed no more than 362 total yards and no more than 28 points in the last four. The Cowboys have also won three straight games after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13 on Thanksgiving Day.
Matt Eberflus isn't the only reason for the Dallas Cowboys' recent success, but he is a key one. He might no longer work for the Indianapolis Colts, but it is good to see him doing well in what appeared to be a no-win situation.