The Cowboys are looking for a new defensive coordinator – one that can teach and communicate clearly – after moving on from Matt Eberflus. We already outlined 15 candidates that should be on their radar,
but here are five names that should be crossed out right away.
Jonathan Gannon
The Cowboys love a former head coach at defensive coordinator – you have to go back to 2012 with Rob Ryan to find the last one without head coaching experience – so, naturally, many have pointed to Jonathan Gannon, who was just fired as the Cardinals head coach.
Gannon went 15-36 in three seasons and ended this year with a nine-game losing streak. It would’ve been a 14-game losing streak if not for the Cowboys losing to them in Dallas. As bad as Gannon’s head coaching run was – this season set a franchise record for losses – he ran the Eagles defense before getting the top job out in the desert.
The Eagles reached the postseason both years, and narrowly lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl right before Gannon’s departure. So why shouldn’t the Cowboys be interested?
The reality is Gannon’s defenses were never that great. His first season saw them finish 17th in EPA/play and, while they improved to sixth the next year, Philadelphia had to win several shootouts during the regular season. He was often criticized by local media for a lack of in-game adjustments, which came to a head in the Super Bowl when Andy Reid schemed up consecutive touchdowns with the same play, both times freeing up a wide open receiver in the endzone.
Gannon is also very young, just 43 years old, and has never been a coordinator anywhere other than Philadelphia. Prior to that, he coached defensive backs for Matt Eberflus in Indianapolis and, before that, assisted with defensive backs on Mike Zimmer’s Vikings staff. Does it really make sense to bring in a coach whose strongest coaching influences are the Cowboys’ last two coordinators – neither of whom lasted more than a year – and Nick Sirianni?
Joe Whitt Jr.
Back when Dan Quinn first departed for the Commanders, there was a belief that the Cowboys viewed pass game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. as the heir apparent. After all, he had been a close confidant of Quinn’s in Atlanta before Dallas and even called some preseason games, usually an indicator of being groomed for the role.
But Dallas pivoted to Mike Zimmer, and Whitt left to run the defense and call plays in Washington. There were some rumors at the time that Mike McCarthy wanted to promote Whitt, but was overruled by others in the building. Whether or not that’s true is irrelevant now, especially with Whitt available again after being let go by Quinn.
It’s easy to make the argument for Whitt’s candidacy – he’s the closest you can get to bringing back the Quinn days – but the last two years have irreparably damaged Whitt’s stock. In his first year, Whitt’s defense finished 22nd in EPA/play allowed; they plummeted to 31st this year, just barely ahead of the Cowboys, and Quinn took over play-calling midway through the year.
In short, there’s a reason that even someone as loyal as Quinn let him go. Whitt had pieces – Daron Payne, Johnny Newton, Bobby Wagner, Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, and others – but he couldn’t fit them together. That’s not what Dallas needs right now.
Al Harris
Easily the most popular position coach the Cowboys have had in some time, Al Harris quickly gained a sterling reputation for his work with the Cowboys corners. Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland both turned in All Pro seasons where they led the league in picks at various times. Harris was known to be a strong teacher of techniques, and he was credited the development of both young playmakers.
When McCarthy opted to leave Dallas this past offseason, Harris found a new home. He’s the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator for the Bears, who just so happen to have led the league in interceptions this year. In particular, former Cowboys project Nahshon Wright found a starting role and snagged five picks, second-most on the team.
The reasons to avoid Harris are two-fold, though.
For starters, Harris is more of a technician than a tactician, by his own admission. While in Dallas, Harris said that he was hardly involved with the defensive scheme or game plan, instead focusing on teaching his players the techniques and fundamentals that make for good defensive backs. And while he holds the title of pass game coordinator now, Harris still has a similar role in Chicago.
The other, more concerning factor is the perception that some in the building had of Harris and the way he treated Diggs and Bland. According to the Cowboys’ own Brad Sham, there was a sense that Harris “babied” his players and didn’t push them enough.
Given how much Brian Schottenheimer has emphasized toughness and competition, as well as the falling out with Diggs this season, it sounds as if the new head coach didn’t really see room for Harris on his staff anyway. That would make for a poor fit at coordinator, obviously.
Jeff Ulbrich
Of all the names on this list, Jeff Ulbrich is easily the least objectionable name. But given all the other potential candidates out there, it does seem as if the Cowboys can do better than bringing in the former Falcons and Jets defensive coordinator.
For a long time, Ulbrich was part of Quinn’s staff with the Falcons, coaching linebakers. When Quinn was fired and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was named interim head coach, Ulbrich was named interim defensive coordinator. After that season, Robert Saleh hired him to run the Jets defense.
During his four seasons there, the Jets were 21st in EPA/play allowed, but they did improve. New York finished 2023 as the third best defense by EPA. The next year, Ulbrich was promoted to interim head coach early on, as Saleh was fired, and the defense fell off throughout the course of the year.
Ulbrich then came to Atlanta, reuniting with Morris. Taking over a Falcons defense that had ranked 20th in EPA/play, Ulbrich improved them to… 14th. He’s now available after Morris – one of the names most associated with the Cowboys opening – was fired following a second straight 8-9 season.
Statistically speaking, Ulbrich has only had one truly good year as a coordinator, and his teams have never reached the playoffs. More concerning, though, is the fact that all of his five seasons as a coordinator came under a defensive-minded head coach. How much of that stellar 2023 season was Ulbrich, and how much of it was Saleh, who’s once again getting head coaching consideration following a great year leading the 49ers defense?
Matt Patricia
One name that’s picked up steam as of late is Matt Patricia. Yes, that Matt Patricia. Currently the defensive coordinator at Ohio State, where the Buckeyes boast one of the very best defenses in college football, Patricia is enjoying a career resurgence.
The longtime Patriots assistant rose through the ranks to defensive coordinator before getting the Lions job. There, he took over a 9-7 team and replaced Jim Caldwell, who was 36-28 in four seasons in Detroit. Patricia promptly went 6-10, 3-12-1, and then 4-7 before being fired during the 2020 season. He alienated players, routinely showed up late to team meetings and practices, and somehow deflated an entire fanbase that had already become used to losing.
He would return to New England as a senior advisor, later sharing offensive play-calling duties with Joe Judge in a move that turned just as disastrous as everyone – save for Bill Belichick – expected. When Belichick was let go, Patricia joined the Eagles as a senior defensive assistant after Gannon left for Arizona.
Halfway through the year, Nick Sirianni turned over defensive play-calling to Patricia, in a move that was highly controversial at the time. While Philadelphia had struggled defensively that year, Patricia’s expanded involvement made things worse: they lost three of their final four games and went from 24th in EPA/play to 29th.
The craziest part is that a closer examination of Patricia’s Patriots defenses shows they weren’t even that great. He held the title of defensive coordinator for six seasons, and gained more autonomy from Belichick with each new year. There was also an inverse relationship with the defense’s efficiency: over his last four years, Patricia’s defenses were top 10 in EPA/play just once.
His final season was the worst, too. They were 26th in EPA/play, one of the worst years defensively of the Belichick era, and the Patriots lost the Super Bowl despite Tom Brady throwing for 505 yard with zero turnovers. Not only that, but backup quarterback Nick Foles dropped 373 yards and a 40-burger on Patricia.
The Buckeyes have undeniably had an outstanding year, especially on defense, but it’s been a long time since they weren’t good on that side of the ball. It’s not as if Patricia took over an ailing, or even mediocre, unit and turned them into all-stars. He simply avoided messing up a good thing in Columbus.
It’s the first time he’s done that, too. The Patriots got worse under his watch – heck, even their offense got worse when he got involved – and so did the Eagles. The Lions were practically cratered into the ground by his short tenure. It’s not hyperbole to say Patricia has had a net negative impact everywhere he’s coached in the NFL, and he is the farthest thing from what the Cowboys need now or ever.
