Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys need to make sure Matt Eberflus’ defense has Osa Odighizuwa.
After several days of speculation, the Cowboys made it official on Tuesday and hired former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus to be the new defensive coordinator under Brian Schottenheimer. We broke down the scheme that Eberflus will be bringing to Dallas, which you can read here, but there is one main takeaway from this hiring.
The Cowboys must prioritize Osa Odighizuwa among all other soon-to-be free agents.
Eberflus, who spent seven seasons in Dallas and five of them working under Rod Marinelli, brings the same Tampa 2 scheme with him that he learned under the longtime Cowboys defensive coordinator. And just like Marinelli, Eberflus has always placed an enormous importance on the 3-technique defensive tackle spot.
When Eberflus was first hired in Chicago, he explained the reason for valuing the position so much:
“We call it the engine that makes everything go because in the running game, you can’t run at the three and you can’t run away from him, so it’s hard to really dictate where you’re going to run the ball, number one, and it creates a lot of free lanes for your linebackers to run through in the run game,” Eberflus explained Tuesday at Halas Hall.
“But in the pass game, a lot of times when you have two of them, you have a three-technique and you have a defensive end opposite of him, it’s hard to move your line that way. He creates a lot of one-on-ones, and he’s typically overmatched on a guard. Typically your best offensive linemen are on the outside and if you have your best player on the inside, that’s certainly an advantage for you.”
Eberflus landed the Bears job after four strong years as the Colts defensive coordinator. He arrived in Indianapolis saying the same things, and after two seasons of alternating between journeyman veterans in Denico Autry, Margus Hunt, and Grover Stewart at the 3-technique, the Colts went out and traded for budding star DeForest Buckner. An immediate fit in the role, Buckner earned first team All-Pro honors his first season in Indianapolis and led the team in sacks each of the next two years.
When Eberflus got to Chicago, the Bears’ first free agency signing was Larry Ogunjobi, offering him a three-year deal worth $40.5 million and securing a top-tier 3-technique for their new head coach. A couple days later, Ogunjobi failed his physical and the offer was automatically voided.
Chicago pivoted to Justin Jones, another journeyman veteran. While not a game-wrecking presence, Jones played well his first year in Chicago, finishing second on the team in both pressures and sacks. He took a step back in 2023, which led to second year pro Gervon Dexter assuming the starting role in 2024; Dexter finished second in pressures and tied for the team lead in sacks.
Given how good the defenses have been under Eberflus, both in Indianapolis and Chicago, it’s easy to understand why...
