DaRon Bland’s coverage numbers reveal a serious Matt Eberflus problem

Throughout the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys' secondary has been surrendering one big play after another. They enter Week 15 last in the NFL in yardage surrendered through the air, giving up 3,317 yards.

The struggles have led to criticism, with DaRon Bland often being targeted. That's understandable given the fact that he signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension earlier this year. With that salary, much is expected of Bland, and he hasn't delivered.

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That's not necessarily his fault, however. Bland has proven capable when playing man coverage this season, giving up just 5.3 yards per attempt. That's 11th-fewest in the NFL. In Zone coverage, however, he's giving up the eighth-most yards at 9.6. Bland is also allowing a 70.6 percent completion rate in zone coverage compared to 50 percent in man coverage.

Despite his proficiency when playing man-to-man, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus refuses to stick with that coverage. Instead, he continues to use a zone-heavy scheme.

via NFL's Next Gen Stats... kind of a damning indictment on Matt Eberflus imo pic.twitter.com/gUawnlCDVJ
— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) December 11, 2025

What's infuriating about this is that the entire secondary is built for man coverage. That includes Trevon Diggs, who is on the IR, and Shavon Revel Jr., who was selected in the third round this year due to his talent in man coverage.

Barring a shift in philosophy, Matt Eberflus has to go this offseason

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on the sideline during the first quarter. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

When Dallas announced Eberflus as their defensive coordinator, it seemed to be a home run hire. While his stint as the Chicago Bears head coach left a lot to be desired, Eberflus has always been a well-respected defensive coach.

Unfortunately, this roster doesn't fit his scheme and it's not as if they can change everyone out.

For that reason, the Cowboys have to consider moving on from Eberflus if he refuses to change his approach. It's tough to envision them going to a new coordinator for the third consecutive season, but attempting to cram a square peg into a round hole isn't a better option.

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