Jerry Jones made the people wait a day, but eventually he gave Dallas Cowboys fans the late Christmas present they were hoping for: firing Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Eberflus was only around for a single season, but when that season features arguably the worst defense in recent NFL history ... well, let's just say change was needed.
Granted, the Cowboys' personnel (even post-Quinnen Williams trade) didn't do Eberflus a ton of favors. But there's still enough here to at least not be literally 32nd in the league. And it just so happens that this coaching carousel is deep on interesting defensive minds, ones who might jump at the chance to take Jones' money and have a consistently great offense supporting them.
The home runs
Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings
Should he want to leave the warm embrace of Kevin O'Connell for a lateral move? Probably not. Would an outspoken guy who once sued the league be a bit (OK, more than a bit) too spicy for Jerry Jones? Almost certainly. But the work that Flores has done since arriving in Minnesota in 2023 can't be overstated: The Vikings had very little impact talent on the defensive side of the ball, but before too long they were one of the toughest units to play against in the entire league. There might not be a more creative defensive play-caller in the NFL right now, which is exactly what Dallas needs.
Jeff Hafley, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay's defense was one of the most maddening in the league before Hafley showed up, and his impact was immediate. After ranking 23rd in EPA per play in Joe Barry's final season in 2023, Hafley had the Packers in the top five in that same metric last season, and they were off to a similarly gangbusters start this year before injuries sent things sideways. His defenses consistently wreak havoc and make big plays, and the success he's had developing unheralded guys like Edgerrin Cooper and Evan Williams into star-level contributors speaks to his abilities as a coach.
Like Flores, this feels like a long shot. But there's been an increasing amount of smoke about some friction between Matt LaFleur and his bosses in Green Bay; would Hafley be willing to jump ship in order to avoid getting caught in the fallout?
Jim Schwartz, Cleveland Browns
Set aside the shortcomings of his head coaching stint in Detroit. Wherever Schwartz has been as a DC, whether Tennessee or Philly or Buffalo or most recently Cleveland, awesome defense typically follows. That's been true for the last three years with the Browns despite an offense that consistently put them behind the 8-ball. He's not the most schematically creative guy, and he relies on having certain tools in the toolbox that Dallas might not be able to provide (at least right away). But his track record speaks for itself, and with Kevin Stefanski out, he could well be available.
Jeff Ulbrich, Atlanta Falcons
Like Schwartz, Ulbrich's future is up in the air after his head coach got the axe. Reports suggest the Falcons might try to keep him around regardless of who they hire above him, but the Cowboys would do well to make a run at him. He helped Robert Saleh produce great defenses for years with the Jets, and he did good work in his first season out from under his protege's shadow. Atlanta's defense consistently punched above its weight in 2025, and it seems fair to give Ulbrich credit for how several young players (Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., specifically) developed.
The steady hands
Lou Anarumo, Indianapolis Colts
The bloom has come off the rose a bit for Captain Lou since he helped take the Bengals to the Super Bowl back in 2021. But this season made clear that he's hardly to blame for Cincy's slow disintegration since then, and he managed to build a competent defense in Indy despite limited personnel and injuries at just about every level. He's a good play-caller, and more importantly for the Cowboys' purposes, he's a flexible one, willing to cater game plans to the players he has and the opponent he's facing. A high-floor choice, even if he's not a flashy one.
Anthony Weaver, Miami Dolphins
Weaver would do well to try and find a way out of Miami; sure, Mike McDaniel staved off his execution, but the overall trend lines here are still not great. The top-line numbers might not jump off the page, but don't get it twisted: Weaver did good work with the Dolphins defense in 2025, taking a roster without a ton of depth or impact talent — and a team that seemed to be on quit watch midway through the year — and at the very least preventing the bottom from falling out. Plus, this unit was top-10 in EPA per play as recently as last season. Again: not flashy, but he's a good coach and a cool head.
Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons
Sure, so Morris isn't cut out to be a head coach at this level. The game management was atrocious, and he was clearly in over his head. But don't let that mask the fact that he's pretty good when you take all that off his plate and just let him coach defense. The last time we saw him in that role, he was coaching a Super Bowl-caliber defense with the Rams (and then doing more with less in a post-Aaron Donald world). His guys play hard for him, and he's creative schematically. You could certainly do worse as a set-it-and-forget-it option alongside a young head coach.
The fast risers
Matt Burke, Houston Texans
Do you feel lucky? Burke doesn't even have a full year's worth of NFL play-calling under his belt; he took over that responsibility from Demeco Ryans in Week 4 of this season. But the fact that Ryans was willing to trust him with it speaks volumes, and it just so happens that the switch coincided with the Texans morphing into one of the best defenses we've seen in recent memory. Of course, it's impossible to say how much of that is Burke and how much of that is a proven elite coach in Ryans. But if you want to be a year early on the next big thing, here's your guy.
Anthony Campanile, Jacksonville Jaguars
In his first year as play-caller, Campanile took a Jags defense no one thought much of at the start of the year and has them third in the league in EPA per play. That's quite the debut, punctuated by dominant performances against the likes of the Chargers and (pre-meltdown) Colts. There's still a ton we don't know about Campanile. But it's not like he has a full cupboard to work with in Jacksonville, and he's painting a masterpiece anyway. It's hard not to buy stock in a guy like that.
Al Harris, Chicago Bears
After five seasons with the Cowboys, Harris has spent 2025 in Chicago, doing solid work coaching up a feisty Bears secondary. A jump to DC might be a little bit early at this point in his coaching career, but he knows the building and the personnel, and he seems to be a steady riser who's well-regarded around the league.
Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams
Shula is admittedly one of the league's foremost nepo babies, but you do eventually need to prove you can coach, and he's done that in a major way over the last two seasons with the Rams. This was a defensive depth chart largely decimated in the wake of Aaron Donald's retirement, and the growth they've shown from 2024 to 2025 — and the young players who've developed under Shula's watch — is awfully impressive.