Poll: BIGGEST reason our defense was so bad in 2025

[Bobhaze]

2025 gave us the most points ever surrendered in a Cowboys season. So…In your opinion, what was the BIGGEST reason our defense was so bad in 2025?

Vote and tell us your reasoning.

I picked a lack of talent. This was the least talented defensive roster I’ve seen in a long time. (Getting Q Williams is a step forward) Eberflus was awful and having 4 DCs in 5 years doesn’t help. But it’s hard for even good coaching to work miracles without some talent.

 

[atlantacowboy]

The defense wasn't just bad. It was historically bad. Eberflus just refused to adjust to his personnel and showed zero creativity.

 

[Tabascocat]

All of the above but voted for Eber.

 

[visionary]

I picked Lack of Talent really it was 1 and 2
Both pathetic

 

[Aven8]

Flus. It looked like a guy that wasn’t interested in coaching anymore. He wouldn’t change things up either. Not knowing where to line up the majority of the season is middle school stuff. The talent is bad but at least line up correctly!

Getting beat is one thing but getting beat because of scheme is ridiculous.

 

[Pentagruel]

I voted for Eberflus because to me the most egregious thing was that no player understood where they needed to be within the scheme. That to me says he failed to explain what he wanted properly. The talent level is not great but there are some good players on the defense too. There are other teams that don’t have a huge amount of talent on defense either due to roster construction or injury that performed miles better. Many of these players performed a lot better under Dan Quinn, none improved. Yes, we need to allocate more resources to the defensive side of the ball, and I’m certain we will do so this off-season but it all starts with the coaching staff and they were unable to teach, explain or motivate the players they had on the team. No unit should ever look as clueless as this Dallas defense even if all the players were pulled from the undrafted rookie pool.

 

[DandyDon52]

Ok you cant really judge talent when you are in wrong/bad scheme, with bad DC.
The trade of Parsons cant count, because 31 teams dont have him either and they do ok.
Lack of continuity just means we have had bad dc's after quinn.

And really quinn had parsons young and feisty to help him look good, and some of the other players like diggs and bland were much better then.

You need a good DC's to start with, and this darante jones, if he looks at the players he has then designs the best defense for them, he may be the best candidate. That would be very flexible.
Once they get a top DC let them help pick the new def talent brought in or drafted.

 

[Jarntt]

How does one pick? I’d say about even between the DC and the lack of talent (which of course in no small part includes the trading of Micah). If I had to pick it’s the lack of talent. There is no human alive that could have coached Murray to being anything but horrible…

 

[starfan1]

All things can be true to a certain extent

 

[Diehardblues]

2025 gave us the most points ever surrendered in a Cowboys season. So…In your opinion, what was the BIGGEST reason our defense was so bad in 2025?

Vote and tell us your reasoning.

I picked a lack of talent. This was the least talented defensive roster I’ve seen in a long time. (Getting Q Williams is a step forward) Eberflus was awful and having 4 DCs in 5 years doesn’t help. But it’s hard for even good coaching to work miracles without some talent.

I tried to select more than one. It was a combination of factors including lack of talent, losing Parsons and injuries. And a coaching change needed as well.

 

[Whyjerry]

When your best rusher is 33 tear old J Clowney and your highest paid defender gets hurt by falling TVs you have a roster problem.

 

[stuckindc]

You forgot to list our GM

 

[Johannes44]

I think it was #1, #2 and #4 combine all those things together you created the crap show on defense you saw.

 

[Havic]

2 and 1 are synonymous with each other. As much as the players were bad, Eberflus refusing to blitz the worst qb in the league at handling the blitz (McCarthy) is an amount of stubborness generally reserved for Jerry. He shares just as much blame as the players. When asked if he would do anything different, he resoundingly stated no.

 

[zrinkill]

Trading the player that the defense was built around, 6 days before the first game.

 

[maryquality]

All of the above!!

 

[RodeoJake]

It was a combination of all the above, but Flus refused to adapt to the personnel. If he wanted to be fired, he couldn't have tanked more.

 

[Johannes44]

It was a combination of all the above, but Flus refused to adapt to the personnel. If he wanted to be fired, he couldn't have tanked more.

I still maintain that he refused to adapt because he wanted to be fired.

 

[JayFord]

Having chefs that cant cook is one thing and thats BAD

Having an executive chef that wont put them at a different station or switch up his menu to see what he can get out of what he has is a failure

 

[Kwyn]

The fact that so many think Eberflus was a bigger issue than talent is concerning but not surprising.

Belichik in his prime could have this crew and they’d be middle of the pack at best.

Eberflus sucked but until we get a few great defenders, we wont see a championship level defense