
Cowboys coordinator Matt Eberflus does this one thing extremely well
Matt Eberflus has earned the moniker of 'Linebacker whisperer' in his time as a position guru, defensive coordinator, and head coach in the NFL. Regardless of whether the player was drafted and developed by Eberflus, a veteran with success elsewhere, or a player he had to take to the next level, linebackers elevate while under his stewardship.
As a linebacker coach and defensive coordinator, he helped develop Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson, Jaylon Smith, Bobby Okereke, and Shaquille Leonard. Lee was drafted the season before Eberflus became the linebacker coach at Dallas and developed into an all-time great when healthy. In their first season together, Lee had 104 tackles, 10 for a loss, four interceptions, and seven pass breakups. He was fifth in the 2016 voting for Defensive Player of the Year and had his only first-team All-Pro season.
Carter was a starter under Eberflus for three seasons. He had a season with 96 tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups, and five tackles for a loss. He had five interceptions and eight pass breakups in another season with Eberflus. Without Eberflus, he never started more than three games or recorded 50 tackles. Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson were fourth-round picks who Eberflus developed into starters all four years of their rookie contracts, and they each went on to start and win a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jaylon Smith had two seasons with Eberflus, coming off a career-threatening injury. He was fifth in Comeback Player of the Year voting in 2017 and later developed into a Pro Bowler.
As a defensive coordinator for the Colts, Eberflus oversaw the drafting and development of both Leonard and Okereke.
Okereke became a linebacker who averaged over 120 tackles a season and has been in the top 10 in solo tackles three times in six seasons. Leonard developed into a star. He started 58 games and averaged 134.5 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, nearly three interceptions, 7.5 pass breakups, over four forced fumbles, and almost four sacks. He was a three-time All-Pro and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Dallas is very young at linebacker, with Marist Liufau, DeMarvion Overshown, and Shemar James having a season or less of experience on the field. Veterans Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn, and Damone Clark will also improve under his tutelage.
There have also been journeyman linebackers who saw significant upticks while playing for Eberflus.
David Bowens had one season as a full-time starter in 10 years. He was a defensive end who transitioned to linebacker when Eberflus took over as the position coach in Cleveland. Bowens went from a high of 43 tackles to 71 and had a career-high 12 QB hits in 15 starts.
In the same 2009 season, Matt Roth played four games without a start for the Miami Dolphins before being released. He was claimed off waivers by the Browns, where he started the final six games with Eberflus as linebackers coach. The following year, he started all 16 games, and in that 22-game span, he accumulated 114 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 12 tackles for a loss.
Anthony Spencer became a significant impact player and a Pro-Bowler in his second year working with Eberflus. He nearly doubled his highest sack total with 11 and had his highest tackles for a loss, too. His personal-best in tackles went from 67 to 95, and he did it in only 14 starts.
Rolando McClain won Comeback Player of the Year in 2014 with Eberflus after missing seven games in 2012 and the entire 2013 season.
All in all, Eberflus' influence should rear it's head pretty quickly with his new troops in Dallas.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

NBC Sports
34 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says there will be no state money for sports venues
Two NFL teams call Pennsylvania home. Neither should consider calling Pennsylvania when it's time to finance stadium renovation or construction for their home stadiums. Via the Associated Press, Governor Josh Shapiro made it clear on Sunday that state money will not be available to sports teams. 'I'm very worried about the overall budget,' Shapiro said Sunday before a NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway. 'I'm very worried about the overall economic situation given the federal cuts. You want to balance investing in tourism, investing in sports, investing in great arenas and facilities, with making sure that you're also investing those dollars in things that Pennsylvanians need most.' And, in Shapiro's view, Pennsylvanians don't have a pressing need for sports. He nevertheless wants sports — and more of them — in Pennsylvania. 'I will tell you that we want to make sure the Steelers, we want to make sure the Eagles, and all of our pro teams have outstanding places to play,' Shapiro said. 'That are welcoming for fans. That generate revenue. We're going to continue to dialog with them about what they need and what's possible.' There's been a presumption for years that, because members of the public attend sporting events, there's an obligation by their state and local governments to help pay for the venue. Does that happen when someone builds a store that members of the public? A theater? The key words Shapiro used are 'generate revenue.' Sports stadiums generate plenty. More than enough to pay for themselves. Sure, that might result in less profit. But so what? If there's enough profit to justify the investment, that should be good enough. Sports teams aren't entitled to unlimited profit via taxpayer subsidies. The Steelers, who opened their current stadium in 2001, aren't currently angling for a replacement. The Eagles have begun the process of considering whether to renovate Lincoln Financial Field or to replace it. Whatever the approach on either side of the Commonwealth, the two teams have one thing in common. State money won't be available, for as long as Shapiro is in office. Elected in 2022, Shapiro can run again in 2026. So it's possible that the policy won't change before 2030. At the earliest.

NBC Sports
36 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says there will be no public money for sports venues
Two NFL teams call Pennsylvania home. Neither should consider calling Pennsylvania when it's time to finance stadium renovation or construction for their home stadiums. Via the Associated Press, Governor Josh Shapiro made it clear on Sunday that state money will not be available to sports teams. 'I'm very worried about the overall budget,' Shapiro said Sunday before a NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway. 'I'm very worried about the overall economic situation given the federal cuts. You want to balance investing in tourism, investing in sports, investing in great arenas and facilities, with making sure that you're also investing those dollars in things that Pennsylvanians need most.' And, in Shapiro's view, Pennsylvanians don't have a pressing need for sports. He nevertheless wants sports — and more of them — in Pennsylvania. 'I will tell you that we want to make sure the Steelers, we want to make sure the Eagles, and all of our pro teams have outstanding places to play,' Shapiro said. 'That are welcoming for fans. That generate revenue. We're going to continue to dialog with them about what they need and what's possible.' There's been a presumption for years that, because members of the public attend sporting events, there's an obligation by their state and local governments to help pay for the venue. Does that happen when someone builds a store that members of the public? A theater? The key words Shapiro used are 'generate revenue.' Sports stadiums generate plenty. More than enough to pay for themselves. Sure, that might result in less profit. But so what? If there's enough profit to justify the investment, that should be good enough. Sports teams aren't entitled to unlimited profit via taxpayer subsidies. The Steelers, who opened their current stadium in 2001, aren't currently angling for a replacement. The Eagles have begun the process of considering whether to renovate Lincoln Financial Field or to replace it. Whatever the approach on either side of the Commonwealth, the two teams have one thing in common. State money won't be available, for as long as Shapiro is in office. Elected in 2022, Shapiro can run again in 2026. So it's possible that the policy won't change before 2030. At the earliest.


CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for June 23 #273
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Today's Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Yellow group hint: Light the cauldron. Green group hint: Don't do that! Blue group hint: Someday, we'll win it all. Purple group hint: Unusual league. Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Summer Olympic sports. Green group: Infractions in soccer. Blue group: NBA teams that haven't won a championship. Purple group: UFL teams. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for June 23, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is summer Olympic sports. The four answers are badminton, field hockey, skateboarding and triathlon. The green words in today's Connections The theme is infractions in soccer. The four answers are backpass, handball, offside and tripping. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is NBA teams that haven't won a championship. The four answers are Hornets, Jazz, Pelicans and Timberwolves. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is UFL teams. The four answers are Defenders, Panthers, Renegades and Roughnecks.