Cowboys' defensive woes demand change. Could luring Al Harris back from Chicago mend their struggling unit?
FRISCO - The easy part about what to do with the defensive coordinator position of the Dallas Cowboys?
Move on from Matt Eberflus, who's one year here as been a disaster in terms of production from what is argubly the NFL's worst unit.
In the last two weeks, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has stated that evaluating Eberflus' future here shouldn't be characterized as "difficult'' as has said, when asked about being satisfied with the scheme and the work of defensive staff in a win at Washington ...
“No, not at all," Jerry said on 105.3 The Fan. "We've got a lot of work to do there. ...''
The hard part? Waving some sort of imaginary magic wand to find some "perfect'' replacement.
We've examined the idea of going for a top-ranked and experienced guy in Cleveland coordinator Jim Schwartz. We’ve also wondered if Brian Flores can be lured out of Minnesota. We know Rex Ryan well enough to speculate that he'll use his bully pulpit on ESPN to push for the job. And we bet top Dallas aide Aaron Whitecotton will get an interview.
That could be just the tip of the iceberg of names should the Joneses and head coach Brian Schottenheimer agree on a change.
But maybe the most prominent name when it comes to DFW media and Cowboys Nation?
That would be Al Harris.
We work on the assumption that Harris, who held the title of "assistant head coach'' in Dallas until Mike McCarthy's firing a year ago, wanted the Cowboys coordinator job that Jerry gave to Eberflus.
That fueled the move of Harris, 51, to the Chicago Bears, where he works under coordinator Dennis Allen (Harris' title is "defensive backs coach and passing-game coordinator'') and is earning praise from head coach Ben Johnson.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up Al Harris,'' Johnson recently said. "He’s done a phenomenal job. He’s made a huge impact on our players, he’s made a huge impact on our defense and our team. Everywhere he’s been, his DBs have been ballhawks.''
Johnson continued ...
“In Dallas for a number of years, it was (Trevon) Diggs and it was (DaRon) Bland, they’re coming away with interceptions. And that’s carried over here and it’s a big reason why Nahshon Wright is playing such good football right now. He’s got a history with Al going back to Dallas and we’re very fortunate to get him on board. I think he’s credited nine takeaways right now between the forced fumbles and interceptions.”
Johnson makes a strong case here for Harris, who was a favorite among players in Dallas ... with a sideline demeanor captured by NFL Films that also endeared him to the public.
In retrospect, maybe he was the right guy for the coordinator job here a year ago, and Jones let a big fish get off the hook.
Can that mistake be rectified by offering Harris a promotion to leave Chicago to return here? Could he fix so much that has gone wrong in Dallas, where the secondary in particular has spent 2025 looking completely lost?
The recent track record makes one thing clear: Eberflus' resume now features an arrow pointing down. ... while Harris' resume now features an arrow that may point him back to The Star.