Who could be the Cowboys’ next defensive coordinator? Here are seven candidates – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Dallas Cowboys are on the hunt for their fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons.
On Tuesday morning, the Dallas Cowboys moved on from defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, firing him after one season that saw the team give up a franchise record 511 points and a league-worst 30.1 points per game.
Now, the search begins for his replacement, and more pressure than ever will be put on making the right hire. With it being the fourth defensive coordinator for the team in as many years, getting the hire right is crucial
toward consistency and the future success of the defensive unit.
Here are seven names that could make sense as the Cowboys cast their net to find their next defensive leader:
Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator
Something to know going into the search: The Cowboys will not be able to interview any current defensive coordinator without the other team’s approval. Those situations are rarely granted across the league.
However, Flores will see his contract expire in the coming days, and at that point he will be free to interview with any team. Minnesota does have a period with exclusive negotiating rights, but he is also expected to be a candidate for head coaching opportunities, including the Las Vegas Raiders.
After the Vikings’ 34-26 win over the Cowboys on Dec. 14, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones publicly praised Flores’ unit for its ability to get to the quarterback and affect the game. Now, they could have their chance to bring him in.
Jonathan Gannon, former Cardinals head coach
Since 2011, the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys has been a former head coach. Flores fits that bill, and so does Gannon after he was fired from Arizona on Monday.
Familiarity has also been a key driving point to a lot of the Cowboys’ hires over the years. And while Gannon doesn’t have direct experience in Dallas, he does have experience coaching alongside Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams. Additionally, he has familiarity in the division after leading the Eagles’ defense in 2021 and 2022 — posting top-10 units each season.
While his three-year tenure in Arizona never got off the ground (15-36 record), his proven experience as a coordinator in the division could lead to some interest from Dallas.
Holden, Childress lead group of early Cowboys 2026 signings – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys signed players from their practice squad to future contracts.
It’s an annual beginning of the formation of the offseason 90-man roster, and though the organization will have its hands full, personnel-wise, with headline free agents like George Pickens, Javonte Williams and Jadeveon Clowney, amongst others among a list of 22 pending free agents, they have already begun the work of securing futures deals.
The first eight to land a deal are as follows:
Israel Abanikanda, RB
Traeshon Holden, WR
Parris Campbell, WR
Nick Everett, OL
Marcellus Johnson, OL
Isaiah Land, DE
Zion Childress, DB
Julius Wood, S
The group is led by promising young talent like wide receiver Traeshon Holden, a 2025 training camp standout, and Zion Childress, who joined Holden in that capacity before going on to earn some reps as a rookie for the Cowboys when the injury bug made its way around the active 53-man roster.
With these players secured, the next order of roster business will involve trying to make sure NFL free agency ends well, as the Cowboys aim to keep players like George Pickens, Javonte Williams and Jadeveon Clowney in the building; and to allow for the continued development of the more unproven talent signed to futures deals this week.
And, with that, and the decision to move on from defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys’ offseason is officially underway.
Jason Garrett to interview for Titans job: Ex-Cowboys coach drawing interest from Tennessee, per reports – Carter Bahns, CBS Sports
Having Jason Garrett in the league again could be a lot of fun.
Former Dallas Cowboys coach and current television analyst Jason Garrett will interview on Friday for the Tennessee Titans coaching job, according to multiple reports. He is among the numerous potential candidates to replace Brian Callahan, who was fired by the Titans midseason after he opened the 2025 campaign with a 1-5 start.
Garrett has not been a head coach since 2019 and last worked on the sidelines in 2021 as the New York Giants‘ offensive coordinator. The 2016 NFL Coach of the Year spent the entirety of his head-coaching career with the Cowboys from 2011-19, where he went 85-67 and won three NFC East crowns.
Garrett, 59, was linked to college jobs after his New York ouster but never returned to coaching. He has been a regular on NBC’s NFL and Notre Dame football broadcasts since 2022.
While he logged double-digit wins in three separate seasons with the Cowboys and received a long leash from owner Jerry Jones, Garrett’s tenure flamed out after multiple years of inconsistency and a failure to advance deep in the playoffs. Dallas reached the postseason just three times throughout his tenure and never made it beyond the divisional round.
Garrett’s two-year run as the Giants’ offensive coordinator was highly underwhelming. New York ranked No. 31 in points and yardage in both seasons, leading to a midseason firing in 2021.
The failed run as the leader of the Giants’ offense and the inability to contend for Super Bowls with high-end offensive talent in Dallas raises questions about Garrett’s fit in Tennessee. The Titans would undoubtedly benefit from a bright offensive mind capable of developing rookie quarterback Cam Ward, and Garrett would be a risky hire in that regard.
Dallas Cowboys 2026 mock draft: ESPN calls for defense with both first-round picks – RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys
There’s a lot of pressure riding on the Cowboys’ two first-round picks.
ESPN has Dallas double-dipping on defense in the first round
We are all going to consume an inordinate amount of mock drafts as the offseason rolls along and they will feature the Cowboys doing a variety of things. For now we know that Dallas’ own pick will be number 12 overall and we will officially know where their second (by way of the Green Bay Packers) will be whenever the Packers are eliminated from the playoffs.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid recently put together a mock draft and has Green Bay picking at number 25. Here is what he has Dallas doing with their selections.
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
The Cowboys desperately need defensive help, and Styles would give them a building block at the spine of their defense, which allowed a league-high 30.1 points per game in 2025. He would be a massive upgrade to Kenneth Murray Jr., who struggled in every way imaginable this season after being acquired from the Titans. Styles plays an attacking style that uses his excellent instincts, range and awareness. He’s a wrap-up-and-finish run defender and an able blitzer (six sacks in 2024) who can create negative plays in the backfield.
Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee*
McCoy did not play at all this season after suffering an ACL tear last January. That makes him a tough evaluation, as scouts have varying opinions on when he should come off the board, but one could argue that he had top-10 potential entering the season. While he won’t likely be that, the Cowboys need reinforcements at cornerback, especially after releasing former Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs. McCoy would be a worthy pick at this spot even with the knee injury questions, and the Cowboys have taken players in similar situations in the past (such as cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. last year).
Sonny Styles is a huge favorite among draft fans as he has had quite the career at the collegiate level. He would immediately elevate the linebacker play and be someone who could serve as a building block for the next several years. He’d also help DeMarvion Overshown command the middle of the defense. There is a lot to like about this idea.
Jermod McCoy would be a similar pick to Shavon Revel last year (as Reid notes) and that is a much more serious risk to take in the first round as opposed to the third. While McCoy is a special player, you can certainly argue that Dallas is in such a precarious position that they cannot take those kind of risks with their most valuable resources. The Cowboys need help at cornerback (they need help everywhere), but someone who isn’t as uncertain may make more sense.
