The Dallas Cowboys have found their new defensive coordinator after hiring former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, the team announced Tuesday. Eberflus' hiring comes days after Brian Schottenheimer was hired as the franchise's new head coach.

Longtime Dallas DC Mike Zimmer told ESPN's Ed Werder on Sunday that he was not planning on returning to the team as part of Schottenheimer's staff and will likely retire.

Eberflus was a Cowboys linebackers coach from 2011-17, as Schottenheimer's first major hire.

The past few months have not been great for Eberflus. In late November, the 54-year-old coach was fired after a horrendous last-season loss to the Detroit Lions, which was the final straw in a series of miscues throughout the season. Eberflus became the first Bears head coach to be fired midseason, achieving the strange milestone after three seasons at the helm in Chicago.

Now, Eberflus will return to his roots in Dallas. The coach spent seven seasons with the Cowboys as linebackers coach, gaining additional responsibilities in 2016 and 2017 as a passing-game coordinator.

He then joined the Indianapolis Colts as defensive coordinator from 2018-21, improving the Colts' passing and rushing defense and helping the team to two playoff appearances in those four years. Eberflus' work in Indianapolis caught the eye of the Bears, who named him as their head coach in 2022.