The Dallas Cowboys are staring down a long offseason, and one of the biggest questions looming over the franchise is what to do with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. While fans are already calling for change, any decision on Eberflus' future likely won’t come until after the season wraps.
Still, the writing feels like it’s on the wall. Jerry Jones brought him in to replace Mike Zimmer, hoping for a reset on that side of the ball.
But with the defense underperforming and frustrations mounting, it’s becoming harder to justify sticking with the status quo.
That said, the Cowboys’ issues go well beyond just the man calling plays on defense. This roster needs more than a coaching shakeup - it needs a personnel overhaul in key spots.
Linebacker, edge rusher, cornerback, and safety are all positions that could use fresh blood. The defense hasn’t been able to consistently get stops, and it’s clear that simply swapping out the coordinator won’t fix everything.
Then there’s the salary cap. Dallas will need to do some financial gymnastics to get under the cap heading into 2026, and some of the moves they’ll need to make are fairly obvious.
One of the most talked-about names is Trevon Diggs. Cutting or trading Diggs - while painful from a talent perspective - feels like a real possibility given his contract and recent performance.
But he’s not the only high-priced player the Cowboys may have to part ways with.
Enter Terence Steele.
The right tackle is set to carry an $18.1 million cap hit into next season, and that number is hard to justify given how he’s played this year. Steele signed a five-year, $82.5 million extension just before the 2023 season, and at the time, it looked like a smart move.
He was coming off a strong campaign and looked like a long-term piece on the offensive line. But since then, his play has fallen off - especially in pass protection.
Let’s break it down.
Steele remains a solid run blocker - his 77.6 grade in that department puts him 17th among offensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. But when it comes to protecting Dak Prescott, the numbers tell a very different story.
His pass-blocking grade is just 56.5, ranking 69th out of 82 tackles. And when you dig deeper into the advanced stats, the struggles become even more glaring.
Among tackles with at least 400 pass-blocking snaps this season, nobody has allowed more total pressures than Steele - 43 in all. He’s also given up six sacks (ninth-most), eight quarterback hits (third-most), and 29 hurries (also third-most).
His pass-blocking efficiency sits at 95.6, which ranks eighth-worst among qualifying tackles. That’s not what you want from a player taking up a significant chunk of your cap space.
And here’s the thing - with Dak now on the other side of 30, protecting him has never been more important. The margin for error is smaller, and the Cowboys can’t afford to have a weak link on the right side of the line. Whether it’s moving rookie Tyler Guyton - who played right tackle at Oklahoma - into that role, or finally making a splash in free agency, Dallas has to find a better answer.
Cutting Steele with a post-June 1 designation would free up $14 million in cap space while leaving behind $4.5 million in dead money. That’s a trade-off the Cowboys should be willing to make.
Sure, it’s tough to find reliable starting tackles, but the bar Steele has set in pass protection isn’t exactly high. There are options out there who can offer more consistency in keeping Prescott upright.
Bottom line: If Dallas wants to retool this roster and get serious about contending, tough decisions are coming. Moving on from Steele may not be the only one, but it’s one of the clearest.