During the Dallas Cowboys’ end-of-season press conference, Jerry Jones made one thing clear: Matt Eberflus was out after a disappointing defensive showing in 2025. But while the defense took the fall publicly, Dallas’ special teams quietly struggled as well. And yet, Jones went out of his way to shut down any speculation there, saying he “loves” special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen.

Fast forward to now, and nothing has really changed. Despite the issues, that stance was echoed recently in the team’s Mailbag feature, where Cowboys staff writers addressed questions about possible special teams changes. When asked whether Dallas would make adjustments after a rough 2025 season, Tommy Yarrish wasn’t convinced a coaching move was coming.

“I would think there has to be,” he said, addressing potential special teams changes. “The bigger question is whether that comes in personnel or on the coaching staff. Based on how the Cowboys brass talked about special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen at the end of season press conference, it doesn’t sound like the Cowboys will make a change there.”

Translation: Dallas’ special teams went from being among the league’s best to one of its more problematic units in the span of a single season. And yet, Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching staff remains intact. That doesn’t mean the struggles are being ignored entirely. The kicking game, for one, still held up. Brandon Aubrey remained reliable, converting 36 field goals at an 85.7% clip.

But almost everything else unraveled. The Cowboys became a penalty machine on special teams, getting flagged 32 times for 251 yards during the regular season. The return game failed to flip the field consistently as well. Dallas averaged 25.6 yards on 82 kickoff returns and just 6.3 yards on 13 punt returns, numbers that added up over the course of the season.

That’s exactly why skepticism around Sorensen’s future has lingered ever since the Cowboys moved on from Eberflus. Still, Jones has shown no appetite for making additional changes to the coaching staff. For now, the owner and general manager is focused on filling the vacant defensive coordinator role. And in that search, results have been hard to come by.

Jerry Jones’ pursuit to hire the Falcons’ DC is now over

Less than a couple of weeks ago, the Cowboys made their interest in Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich very clear. But Atlanta wasn’t exactly eager to open that door. Falcons owner Arthur Blank pushed back, with reports indicating the organization wanted to retain Ulbrich heading into the 2026 season. The catch? The final call on his future rested with the team’s next head coach.

Fast forward to now, and that decision has been made. Atlanta hired Kevin Stefanski as its next head coach. And once that happened, things moved quickly. The Falcons wasted no time locking in their defensive coordinator. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Atlanta agreed to a three-year extension with Ulbrich. And with that, the situation became crystal clear for Dallas.

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Jerry Jones wanted a conversation with Ulbrich about replacing Eberflus. He never got it. And after this extension, he never will. So the Cowboys remain right where they started: still searching for a new defensive coordinator. And the urgency makes sense. Dallas fielded one of the league’s worst defenses last season. They also have multiple first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, positioning themselves to add premium defensive talent.

And before that talent overhaul begins, Jerry clearly wants a new voice running the defense. When that hire finally happens? That part still remains very much up in the air.