Ex-Washington coach Jay Gruden torches Cowboys 'cover zero' defense after Week 3 loss

The Dallas Cowboys defense is not very good and the human population at large is starting to notice. After the Cowboys gave up 31 points to Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears on Sunday, former Washington head coach Jay Gruden took to social media to absolutely roast Matt Eberflus's unit.

"Gotta hand it (to) the new coverage the Cowboys invented," Gruden posted on X. "Cover zero. Thought that was an all out blitz. Turns out it's cover zero people."

MORE: Stephen Jones deflects from Cowboys’ struggles in coverage with run defense praise

Rome Odunze covered by Cowboys DB Reddy Steward — Sep 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive back Reddy Steward (27) grabs Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) during the second half at Soldier Field. | David Banks-Imagn Images

The former Jaguars and Bengals offensive coordinator wasn't the only one dropping hot takes about the Cowboys defense after another bad showing. Rex Ryan called Eberflus's group the "Dumbsday Defense."

"Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, this defense comes up with even a worse performance. As I call them, Doomsday Defense, man, the history of the Cowboys. Oh, my goodness. I see Bob Lilly. I see them all out there—Randy White, all of them,” Ryan said.

"This one, I think we have a new name for it. What did I call it yesterday? Dumbsday Defense. Dumbsday. Why? Because they play so dumb. It's unbelievable. They have no concept of zone coverage anymore. That's a hell of a coverage right there. They play with 10? I don't know. But this defense is absolutely garbage."

MORE: Matt Eberflus, Cowboys pass defense named among biggest losers from Week 3

Matt Eberflus at Cowboys training camp — Jul 22, 2025; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After primarily sticking to zone coverage against the Giants and giving up 450 passing yards to Russell Wilson, Eberflus attempted a bit more man coverage on Sunday. That didn't go well either, however. According to Bobby Belt, Williams went 4-for-4 for 86 yards with two touchdowns on plays with the defense in man coverage.

Dallas has another tough challenge this week, welcoming the Green Bay Packers to AT&T Stadium for Sunday Night Football. The defense will try to contain quarterback Jordan Love, and do it in primetime with all the eyeballs on them.

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