Matt Eberflus: Evaluating Every Single Guy | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Matt Eberflus: Evaluating Every Single Guy | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Michaelson. Yeah, the the uh defensive line and uh coach Whitecott have done a really good job of rotation with the defensive line and I think it’s really important that we keep those different combinations going, you know, because I really believe that, you know, rushing is four equals one and really playing off each other is a really important thing to do as defensive line. And you don’t do that without just getting the same guys next to you all the time. and and it’s harder for the offensive line as well, you know, to be able to go against different rushers inside, outside, different combinations. Uh very well. You know, the reason we drafted Donovan was uh the re, you know, what we’re seeing now, you know, and that is work ethic, talent, balance, uh power, speed, and that’s what we see. And he’s a wonderful teammate. Uh he’s he’s grinding every day and uh doing a nice job of of progressing. DLLS Cowboys. Can you talk about Mazdord system? How is your system? Yeah, Mazi’s done a really good job uh picking up our system. Um it’s a little bit different than what he was uh doing last year, you know. So I think that he uh he likes that. He’s embracing that and he’s working to get better at it. You know, the biggest thing I think is is is learning how to play with leverage, uh with power, uh quickness. Um you know, he’s got all the talent that he needs and and once he learns that, uh you know, it’s a day-to-day process, right? You get better every day, you grow, you learn. And uh he’s going through that process right now. Losing the weight, he’s down to 310. Is that optimal for what you want him to do? Yeah. Yeah. I I think that uh you know our strength staff H and the guys do a great job with those guys pushing them, you know, getting them right with nutrition and I think we have a wonderful staff there as well. But you know, it’s important that guys, you know, we like and Will Mcclelay knows this and that’s one of the reasons why um I’m here is that I know he likes what I like. You know, he likes long, lean, and fast. And uh we’ll try to get the best, you know, the guy each guy that way. Matt Todd Todd Archer of ESPN. Hey Todd, nice to see you again. How’s it going? Get my name up. Uh, do we make too much of size when it comes to run defense? Um, yeah, I think you need size at certain spots. Um, you know, the double teams happened on the inside as we know. So, you’re talking about 600 and plus versus 300. So those guys do have to be stout inside there to be able to hold and anchor the point uh inside the middle of your defense. Um but on the outside I think that you could have a couple different body types that can really function well to set edges to create um good edge edge to the defense in terms of defensive ends. But uh inside you do need size. I think eight of your 12 years, the last 12 years you’ve got a run defense that’s been inside the top 10. What is the key right there? Teamwork. Yeah, teamwork. It’s not just It’s not just the inside guys. It’s not just the outside guys. It’s everybody, you know, to have an elite run defense. It’s going to take everybody, you know, and one of my mentors, and you guys know him well, used to say no house guest, uh, coach Marinelli, and that’s true. And that starts with we’ll be a good tackling team when our corners tackle. And that’s important. Uh, because all the schemes nowadays make your corners tackle. So, our guys will be a good tackling bunch. And we work on that daily. John Modto with the athletic speaking to your corners, you obviously have some injuries with Diggs and Rebel and now Kayen Carson. What’s your concern level with the quarterback position right now? I always look at that as opportunity first because you know you get a chance for the guys that uh that are competing to step up and move into that ones or twos which they wouldn’t normally be if if the starters are there. So those guys have great opportunity to show what they can do. Um, obviously when you’re missing starters, um, you know, starter types, starter talent, that’s always a concern. And, uh, but we’re we’re doing a good job of working guys in there and really evaluating guys. That’s the process we’re going through right now in terms of evaluating every single guy as we evaluate our scheme and evaluate the skill sets. So, it’s a good chance for us to be able to look at other guys. During practice, uh, a lot of times when you’re calling the defense, the Marvian overone’s been right next to you. What have you kind of learned about Demarian? What’s he able to kind of get out of you guys next week? Yeah, he’s super smart. Uh he’s got really good uh you know, football intelligence and uh it’s it’s a pleasure to work with him and we just kind of talk through the play. I give him the play, you know, make him make the calls. Uh what are you seeing there? And then I had I just give him a nugget or two afterward of hey, if you see that, you know, this is what you’re looking for there. And just trying to help him play faster once he gets back in. And I’m excited to work with him when he gets back. So, I know that, you know, once we get our hands on him, we’re going to be able to help him in terms of efficiency of movement and taking that talent level and bringing him closer to the football and, um, I’m excited to work with him. Nick Harris, former Star Telegram. Uh, obviously a lot of defensive end talent that you have on your roster and you’ve got some blissing linebackers as well. As you build this pass rush plan, how fun has it been able to use these pieces and figure out what’s best? Yeah, we’re in the process of that, right? And uh you know, football for me is always fun. Anytime I’m on the grass, you know, I don’t really like being inside. Uh you know, you put me in that trailer over there, man, I’m not it’s not that great. I mean, I’ll be honest with you. But man, when you get on the grass, woo, it’s a lot of fun. So, I enjoy what I do. I’ve always have. I I love teaching these guys, coaching these guys. Uh but that’s part of the process we’re in, right? Like I said, on the onset, you know, the different combinations, you know, what guys do well. you know, is a guy a good inside pressure player, you know, be it from a Dline standpoint or an inside linebacker, is he can he pressure from the inside? Is he better on the edge? Um, same thing with the safeties, with the corners. You know, we believe in sending everybody at some point um on the first level, second level uh as a pressure player and we’re looking to see what the guys skill sets are in doing that. Yeah, he’s just just work, you know, he’s his work ethic is great. Um, his buyin is awesome and he’s doing a wonderful job with our techniques. you know, the guys that we had, David Overreet and uh Andre Curtis have been with me for a while and they understand the techniques and understand um you know, what we’re asking, you know, in terms of the coverages, but also having the understanding of, you know, looking and evaluating each player and their skill set and how to fit our scheme into that skill set, you know, so those guys do a great job with each individual guy and uh I’m excited about working with uh with Caier. DC at this point. Yeah, great question. Um, I would say that, um, it’s changed over the years. I think when you’re young, and I started coaching when I was super young. I was I just turned 23 years old at the University of Toledo. So, my my idea of what I was doing there was more ambition, you know, uh than gratitude, if that makes sense, you know. So now I’m I’m grateful for the journey that I’ve been on and and excited to have the opportunity to have that that journey to be able to learn uh to be able to grow um not only in uh football which is my vocation but in my faith in my family um and that’s what I stand on and then my vocation which happens to be football and really to pursue excellence every single day and I tell the players this all the time you’re pursuing excellence every day in those three facets, your faith, your family, and your vocation. We’re sitting here in a football meeting, so we’re doing football. I said, but that’s not that is not a uh soft statement, you know, to be excellent, to be elite, to master your craft, okay, in all three of those areas. That’s a that’s a job now. So, um those guys are doing that and that’s really what what what I try to do every day, uh and learn and grow in those three areas and so that I can help others do the same. And that to me is is really what motivates me every day. Um, and it’s a day-to-day process, momentto- moment process. And um, but yeah, it’s more more gratitude, you know, uh, over ambition as I was when I was younger. Dallas start games last year. Kind of talked about the evaluation process with some of these other guys. Couple guys they had to add last year they went on. Is it easier to evaluate potential depth of guys you may need to count on later in the year now than it is during the season? Well, that’s part of the process. We got those guys in there now that are playing and I think that it’s it’s going to be good. You know, it’s going to be good. You always have to understand and if if you know players are in or players are out because that’s part of football, right? You’re going to lose guys during the course of the year. You’re never going to be at 100%. You have to learn how to move your scheme to fit the skill set that you have. And and I understand at some points you got to cover people, right? And that that’s that’s you know it’s like a quarterback at some point you got to throw in the pocket. It’s the same thing for a corner. Some point you’re gonna have to cover. But uh we’re just evaluating that right now as we go. And u it’s it’s a good thing. And again there’s a lot of talent on on the on this team and um I’m excited about working with those guys. But again, you can’t ask a guy to do something that he’s he’s uh uh not able to do. You got to ask him what he’s good at. So Mario’s kind of talked about how valable the meetings have been with you. What are you going to learn about him? Just obviously, what have you learned about him? Yeah, I I love his energy. You know, um I’ve been fortunate and grateful to be around a bunch of good linebackers and his energy is is right up there with the rest of those guys that are really good players. So, he’s got a great future ahead of him and he’s really going to be um exciting to grow and exciting to watch as he as he does grow. Cowboys kind of Yeah, OSA has been great. Um, you know, I love his work ethic. I love the way he brings guys together. Um, he’s been working with the young guys, the young D tackles that we have with Tommy and Jay. Um, really doing a good job with Mazy, you know, those and then having Sally in there has been wonderful as well. So you have two really good veterans in OSA and and you know and Sally in there. Uh I think they’re really affecting the entire group, not only the DTackles. Um but it’s really good to have Tayback, another good veteran, and that’s a really strong room for us, you know, in terms of a veteran presence and mentorship, being able to mentor those guys that are underneath them, um the younger guys. So it’s it’s really been good and we really encourage that for our veteran players to really mentor those guys, take those guys under their wings at every position. Dallas. Just practice. You You got to just keep practicing it. You know, it’s got to be on your mind. Um and you got to practice it every day. And and it’s not this is not something that we’re looking for um at the end at all. Uh it’s something that we look for daily. So, we know what we do repeatedly. That’s what that’s who we are. So, we constantly do that every single day. And some days are better than others. And and we’re going to keep it on the guy’s mind. We’re going to keep emphasizing it. Uh keep drilling it. You know, I believe that the coaches, the position coaches are the backbone of of the football team. And I believe that those guys, their drill work is has to be gamelike, has to be set up the right way. And if we keep drilling, whatever it might be, um and we’ll be good at it. And I I I truly believe that, you know, and so the guys just keep working at it over and over again. We spend a good portion of our individual drills, if you watch um during that, if we have a 20-minute individual, we’ll spend five minutes doing takeaways. So, um it’s just it’s just drill work and technique. Yep. Uh, good question, Bill. Good to see you. Um, uh, Jack is a really good pro, you know, and he’s been with us for a few years now, and and man, if you talk about the consmate pro, you know, showing up early, staying late, uh, knowing his stuff, uh, perfecting his technique, uh, being in elite condition, uh, it’s he’s been he’s been a joy to work with and, uh, Jack makes plays, you know, he’s a playmaker and, um, he had an opportunity to start for us a few times. um at the last stop we were at and it’s uh it’s been really good to watch him grow. Um and and I’m more excited about this year for him than anything because he’s changed his body. He’s done a really good job of adjusting his body, his movement skills are, you know, and his his uh efficiency of movement, as I said earlier, have really improved. Um and uh he’s really getting closer and closer to the ball and he’s making a lot of plays in practice. Kenneth, who’s that? Kenneth. Okay. Yeah, Kenneth Murray, he’s been good. Again, we had him in the spring. Um, you know, he’s been here early part of camp and, uh, I’m excited for his leadership. A little, he’s a different athlete than Jack. You know, he’s, uh, got some, uh, good pop to him, good strike, uh, really good movement, and, uh, he’s got good command of the huddle, and he does a really good job out there communicating, and we’re going to be be able to use him in a couple different ways. But uh I’m excited for him and u his opportunity that he has here with the Cowboys too. Cowboyers. Well, first and foremost, I think Will Mcclelay and the scouting staff um have done an outstanding job. pro pro and and college, you know, through the draft of acquiring players, you know, in a short amount of time, you know, when I first got here, I think we added maybe, you know, eight eight or so guys. Maybe it’s maybe I’m missing it by one, but um and all good players, you know, so we’re we’re excited about where we are. It’s certainly it certainly has changed a lot and that credit goes to Will Mcclelay and his staff. I mean that is uh an outstanding job of um Will knows me, I know Will, we’ve been together for a long time. Um for that seven or eight years I was here before and uh our conversations are are really easy, you know, in terms of watching a player, looking at a player. Yes, he fits this. They already know the positions and we didn’t take that for granted. You know, we went through with the whole scouting staff when we first got together and really went through it again uh with the Jones family. Hey, how has your scheme changed since the last time you were here? you know, what’s the difference? And we really talked about that in depth um at each position. And the position coach did a really good job of outlining that so we could acquire the right players through free agency first and then the draft. Yeah. And and let me let me back that up a little bit. really we’re we’re we’re first and foremost educating the players, you know, about the scheme and the technique. That’s our first job. And I always talk to the coaches, hey, we’re here to teach and educate and we’re here to serve those guys and we’re here to push them. So, that’s first and foremost. And then when we have the days off, then we evaluate, you know, and and do our, you know, put our time in there and we evaluate the number, you know, we really look at the guy, step back, you know, don’t talk about personality, you know, character, all that stuff. just look at the number and evaluate the player because you got to be neutral when you’re doing that and we do a good job of doing that and seeing where the guy fits in and if he’s playing our style. You know, our style is not easy to play. It’s not for everybody and um it’s very difficult and it’s demanding physically. So, some guys will will be very good at it and they buy into that and some guys will not will not and uh those guys will not be here. So, we got to make sure that we’re evaluating that as we go and we’re very neutral to that. It’s either But the guys that we’ve acquired, the guys that we brought in, the guys that are sitting in the seats, they have a a lean towards that style and we’re going to take them from here when they come in and we’re going to bring them up to here in terms of style just based on what we standardize and what we look at every day and what we put in front of them. Is the way that you evaluate players now differently? How Uh, not so much. Not so much. It’s It’s very similar. Yeah. I mean, it’s it’s uh at the end of the day, all good football is done with great technique, great speed, and great physicality, or what you say, violence. Um, you know, that that right there is is what it’s all about. you know, how can you get maximize your body to create power, to create leverage, to create strike through technique, right? And then through desire, because that’s what it really is. Um, and that’s what we do. We try to maximize the guys. Um, you know, and you guys know that I coach, you know, Shawn Lee, and I love talking about Shawn, and I will talk about Shawn every chance I get, but you talk about a guy who maximized his potential and maximized his body. That’s a guy that you look at, you know. So, he learned how to play with leverage with his body, power, and strike, and uh, and the effort piece was there, and the desire was there. Uh, but that’s a day-to-day accomplishment. You got to go grind every single day to get that done. And that’s what our guys are doing now. Are the jobs more fundamentally the same or more fundamentally different? Well, I think it’s a it’s a u added responsibility. It really is because you’re you’re now u in charge of practice plans and you know the the logistics of it. That’s a big part of it. um talking to the beautiful media four times or five times a week. That’s another big part of it. Um you know, so and then really, you know, getting the culture right and the staff right and getting together with offense and defense and now you got to go across the aisle and visit with all the defensive guys or the offensive guys or vice versa. So, it’s it’s a uh you got to have great people with you and I think Shotti does um has a has a great support staff. That’s the number one thing that you have to have and I think he’s done a wonderful job of selecting that, you know, to really help him do his job really well. Um, I think that’s first and foremost. And, uh, he’s going to be great at it. Um, and it’s, uh, but it’s just added responsibility, you know, and then you’re still calling the offense, you know, and all that. So, but, uh, yeah, it’s a it’s a different experience. How do you go about the being great on game day is what you got to do balance all these other Yeah, like I said, you know, you know, Clayton Adams is is is the best in the business. And you we’ll see that as he starts to grow in his coordinator position. Um, we got he’s got a lot of support. Um, lot of lot of good guys around him and I think that’s the first and foremost. So he’s able to, you know, do that tactically on a game day during the week and all those things. It’s no different than when I was there. You know, you got to make sure that you have guys that are there to support you and the very best guys whenever Yeah, he’s been great. Mike has been awesome. Uh he’s been engaged uh in the meetings, he’s been engaged on the field uh during the drills. I mean, shoot, he’s in there with the pads on. You guys have seen that. And he’s been he’s been wonderful. And the biggest thing with him and uh and he’s talked about with me is that he wants to stay on pace and making sure that he’s up with the scheme. Um you know, so when it does happen and he does come in and start working, he he knows exactly what he’s supposed to do and how he’s supposed to do it. And uh he’s been right on point with that. And uh that’s been a that’s been really cool to see how he’s really helping other players, young guys. Um but he’s been he’s been great. Elite. He’s he’s the elite intelligence. You know, obviously an elite talent and uh we’re excited to be able to move him around u you know you know throughout the whole entire line, but we’re also excited about the other pass rushers that we do have to create other mismatches. And uh Mike is a big part of that because you know everybody’s he’s going to get the most of the attention and that’ll free up other guys but we’re also find ways to free him up too. All righty. Thank you. All right.

Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus speaks with the media about the defense, stopping the run, the evaluation of position players so far, and the importance of veteran experience from players like Solomon Thomas.

#DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #NFL

Subscribe to the Dallas Cowboys YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2L07gMO
For more Cowboys content: https://www.dallascowboys.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dallascowboys/
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dallascowboys?lang=en
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dallascowboys
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DallasCowboys/
Get the App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dallas-cowboys/id548528027