DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys appear set to keep special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen in place for 2026, even as the unit regressed sharply last season and drew mounting scrutiny from fans and analysts.
The clearest indication came during the club’s end-of-season press conference, where owner and general manager Jerry Jones addressed staff decisions following a disappointing 2025 campaign and confirmed defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus would not return.
While the defense became the headline change, the Cowboys’ own internal messaging suggests special teams coaching continuity. In the team’s official “Mailbag” published Monday, staff writer Tommy Yarrish wrote that, based on how the organization spoke about Sorensen at that season-ending availability, it “doesn’t sound like the Cowboys will make a change” at special teams coordinator—pointing instead to potential personnel adjustments on coverage and return units.
The stance comes as Dallas’ special teams performance metrics from 2025 indicate meaningful decline, particularly in the return game. League statistics show the Cowboys averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff return on 82 returns during the regular season. Their punt returns were notably less productive: 6.3 yards per punt return on 13 returns, among the lower team averages in the league.
Dallas’ kicking operation remained a relative bright spot. Kicker Brandon Aubrey made 36 field goals on 42 attempts (85.7%) in 2025, per NFL kicking statistics. But consistent returns and clean execution—often measured through field position swings and penalty discipline—were harder to sustain, prompting questions about whether changes should extend beyond the defensive staff reshuffle.
For now, the Cowboys’ immediate coaching priority is the vacant defensive coordinator role created by Eberflus’ dismissal, with the front office emphasizing a reset after an uneven season.
If the organization holds course, the next test for Sorensen’s unit will come through roster decisions: coverage specialists, returner usage, and emphasis on reducing mistakes that can erase the value of strong kicking. The message from team leadership, at least publicly, is that those fixes can be made without a change at the top of special teams.
