Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was on board with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’s move to the booth in Week 16. The hope was for a higher vantage point, better play-calling angles, and maybe even a spark against the Los Angeles Chargers. But it didn’t work. L.A. scored 34 points anyway, and Schottenheimer’s post-game assessment said everything without saying anything.

“I thought it was okay; I thought it was fine,” Schottenheimer said when asked about Eberflus calling plays from the booth. “We’ll watch the film and see how everything went. I know we need to get more pressure on the [quarterback] and didn’t do a great job getting pressure on him.”

Brian Schottenheimer’s verdict comes on the heels of a flopped booth experiment. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was left unchecked to throw for 300 yards and two touchdowns. This is the same player who is the third most-sacked QB in the NFL (49) this season. Dallas could only account for 5 QB hits, no picks, and no sacks. The Chargers controlled possession 34:27 to the Cowboys’ 25:33. You could feel the momentum tilt early and never swing back.

What hurt even more was that the Chargers added 152 yards on the ground with two rushing scores. Herbert alone accounted for 42 yards and a score from that stat line. Dallas sits 18th in rush defense per Fox rankings, but they fell short big time. Asked about the frustration, Brian Schottenheimer didn’t sugarcoat anything.

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“He’s slippery, he’s big, he’s athletic,” Schottenheimer noted of Herbert. “We need to affect the passer, especially when you’re playing tight man-to-man, and there’s guys running across the field. You got to affect him and make him make some offtarget throws and we didn’t do a very good job of that today.”

And the thing is, this isn’t new. Dallas ranks dead last in passing defense, 31st in scoring defense, leaking 30 points per game, and 30th on third downs. Moving Eberflus to the booth was a desperate move, but a change of the DC’s line of sight couldn’t bring any results.

To be fair, Brian Schottenheimer spread the blame around. Penalties killed drives, and third-and-shorts got stuffed. The offense lacked fire, too, and the defense never clicked. “At the end of the day, we didn’t play well enough to win in really any phase,” Schottenheimer concluded. But while Schottenheimer tried diplomacy, owner and general manager Jerry Jones seems like he’s done being patient.

Jerry Jones signals DC change looming

After the Week 16 loss, Jerry Jones drew his line. No firing during the final two weeks, a clean finish to the season. But when asked about evaluating Matt Eberflus afterward, Jones didn’t blink. “I might not couch it as difficult,” he said post-game. “[Evaluating Eberflus] is something we have to do.” Adding another layer to this, he gave a sort of roundabout answer to the Cowboys’ defensive future.

“I should, if anything, know and have accessibility to the greatest choices that you could have regarding coaches. That doesn’t mean you can get them all, because they may be committed in other ways,” Jones said. “But one of the great things about where we are and what we got is we can get good coaches. That’s not crossed my mind, as far as the inability to effectively do something different if that’s what we decide.”

That could be interpreted as owner-speak for “he’s done.” The Cowboys sit at 6-8-1, eliminated from the playoffs. The defense ranks near the bottom of the barrel in almost all aspects, and Matt Eberflus’ debut season has cratered fast.

Names will start to surface fast when January rolls around. Pressure specialists who maximize the depth of talent and coverage fixers who clean communication breakdowns. Dallas holds draft capital and offensive continuity under Schottenheimer. This makes the DC spot an attractive landing spot despite this year’s mess.

With just two games left, Eberflus calls plays knowing Jones watches every snap. A Christmas game against the Washington Commanders looms large. Beyond that, Week 18 doubles as another live audition where every third-down stop will matter, even if the season doesn’t. The booth didn’t save Eberflus. Can the last two weeks do?