Cowboys Could Soon Have Two of the NFL’s Hottest Head Coaching Candidates – Randy Gurzi, Cowboys on SI
The Cowboys coordinators have a chance to establish themselves.
Recently, Bryan Broaddus said he wasn’t sure Brian Schottenheimer was a “difference-maker”
at head coach for the Dallas Cowboys. The well-respected insider did say, however, that Schottenheimer did well in convincing the front office to change their approach and hire a younger defensive coordinator in Christian Parker.The selection of Parker highlights what makes Schottenheimer a strong leader. He knows how to evaluate and recruit talent,
which is evident in the impressive staff he’s collected. That includes not only Parker and his assistant, but also a strong offensive staff led by offensive coordinator Klayton Adams.
It’s easy to overlook Adams since Schottenheimer calls the plays, but he’s the driving force behind their impressive ground game. He’s also seen as a strong head coaching candidate in the future, as is Parker. Both are so highly regarded that The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue couldn’t decide which assistant had the better chance to become a star, so she named both Adams and Parker as breakout candidates in 2026.
”It was impossible to decide between second-year OC Adams and first-year DC Parker, who combine to make as exciting a coordinator tandem as we’ll see in 2026,” Rodrigue wrote.
“Adams, a former offensive line coach, schematically blends modern, physical run concepts with a high-potential passing game. Parker is a disciple of storied Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, tasked with turning the Cowboys defense into a true threat — and those who have worked with Parker believe he can do it.”
Cowboys Depth Chart: Is defensive tackle the best position group on the team? – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
When was the last time the Cowboys defensive tackle group was the best position group on defense?
SAFE (5) Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otito Ogbonnia, Jonathan Bullard, LT Overton
Is there a better defensive tackle group in the NFL than the Dallas Cowboys? A strong case could be made that the answer is no. After failing to land Quinnen Williams when they were shopping Micah Parsons last August, the Cowboys finally landed their big fish before the trade deadline for a first- and second-round pick. Now, the four-time Pro Bowler will look to return to his dominant ways for a defensive interior with a lot of potential. In seven games with the Cowboys last season, Williams accounted for 1.5 sacks and 21 total tackles. But now that he is able to participate fully in the offseason with his new teammates, the expectations are much higher for one of the team’s most prized possessions.
A lot of the same things could be said for Kenny Clark, as he was uprooted from Green Bay less than a week before the start of the 2025 season when he was shipped to Dallas in the Parsons trade. While he did have some splash plays last season, the potential for Clark in 2026 is much higher with an actual runway to lead into the season with the offseason program and training camp.
The large reshuffling in the defensive tackle room over the last year also includes trading away Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas in the span of an hour in April. Part of the thinking behind those moves was the confidence in new additions Otito Ogbonnia and Jonathan Bullard.
Ogbonnia won’t be the pass rush world-beater that’s expected from others in the room (just a half-sack in four years in the NFL), but his run game value as a 3-tech makes him a useful rotational piece on early downs to allow the pass-rushing interior bodies to be fresher on passing downs.
Bullard has positional flex in the interior with the ability to play anywhere from a true nose-tackle spot to the 5-tech spot just inside the tackle. An under-the-radar offseason addition for the Cowboys, Bullard’s 10 years of experience will give the rotational group a high floor in the interior.
The positional versatility of rookie fourth-round pick LT Overton could fit him into multiple boxes, but we will place him into the defensive tackle mix for the sake of consistency. Expect Overton to be moved all around the defensive line, but the majority of his snaps should come as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end with a pass-rushing outside linebacker on his outside shoulder.
How does Caleb Downs live up to expectations? – Staff Writers, DallasCowboys.com
There will be a lot riding on the shoulders of Caleb Downs as a rookie to help the defense.
Tommy: By having a noticeable impact on the defense when he’s on the field. I know, you really can’t get more broad than that, but I’m not going to say he needs to be a Pro Bowler or an All-Pro in his rookie season. He doesn’t have to be. Would it be nice? Sure, but there are enough veterans on this defense to be able to help out around him as he gets his rookie season underway.
Usually with defensive backs, the less you hear their name being called, the better the game they’re having. You certainly want that to be the case with Downs, but you also want to hear his name over the plays that everyone saw he can make while on the field at Ohio State. That’s what I mean by having a noticeable impact on the defense, and you’re welcome to define that however you want in your own personal expectations for Downs.
Downs’ ceiling in this defense with Christian Parker is sky high. It seems like the two are almost replicas of one another when it comes to how they view and approach the game of football. I feel that’ll play a big part on Downs’ success early in his career. Will it be evident in Week 1? Maybe, maybe not, but Downs lives up to his first year expectations by being a plus player for this defense, because it’s a unit in need of a lot of plus players.
Patrik: Living up to the status of being a first-round pick will always be a challenge, and especially if a team traded up in the top-15 to make sure they acquired you. Such is the case for Downs, but I don’t believe he’ll have much of an issue living up to his draft status, even if it takes a couple years. I won’t apply undue pressure in claiming he’ll somehow instantly be an All-Pro defensive back in Year 1, but I believe you’ll see plenty of flashes of that in his game. Downs feels different, in every way, in the last several weeks I’ve had to study his work ethic and demeanor.
He’s already, almost instantly, become a locker room leader and that’s a large part of what he’ll be accountable for, so go ahead and check that box. What happens on the field will tell the full tale of what he can be in a Cowboys’ uniform, though. Do I expect Downs to be one of the MVPs of training camp, as a rookie? Yes, I actually do. I can easily see him making a list of plays that drop a few jaws, and his passion in-between the lines will be on full display as well. So, how does he live up to the mountain of expectations? By not staring at the mountain, and instead keep his eyes on the playbook and the next play — the rest will handle itself.
The 3 biggest questions the Cowboys will need to answer in training camp – Connor Livesay, Blogging the Boys
Tyler Guyton needs to have an outstanding training camp.
Do the Cowboys have a starting left tackle on their roster?
Another one of the biggest questions coming into training camp is who will win the starting left tackle job (the answer is Tyler Guyton)?
While the safest bet here is Tyler Guyton will be the Cowboys starting left tackle when the Cowboys kick things off against the Giants, the bigger question is will he maintain control of the job for the entire season? Guyton did show some signs of development last season, before missing time due to injury, but injuries are something Guyton has dealt with in his first two years in the NFL. If Guyton is able to stay healthy, he will be serviceable at left tackle for the entire season, but the major question here is can he play most of the season?
Nathan Thomas and rookie fifth-round pick Drew Shelton are the other names to watch during training camp. While Thomas will likely get the first crack at the first-team competition, don’t count out Shelton as an option later on in training camp if neither Guyton or Thomas are taking advantage of their opportunities.
Daily discussion question: Which 5 players on the Cowboys do you trust the most?
