Given that everyone but Matt Eberflus’ own mother thinks he will be fired soon, it’s no surprise that we’re already deep into talk about the Dallas Cowboys’ next defensive coordinator. But while we’re discussing
a Brian Flores here or an Al Harris there, we shouldn’t ignore all in-house options. If the front office does want to promote from within, defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton is the most likely candidate.
While only in his first season with Dallas, Whitecotton has been a primary DL coach since 2021 and an assistant since 2013. He started in Jacksonville as part of Gus Bradley’s staff, the year Bradley became head coach after his breakout with the Legion of Boom in Seattle. It was there that he first worked with Robert Saleh, the linebackers coach at the time, and they would resume that relationship in Saleh’s tenures with the 49ers and Jets. Saleh was fired as the Jets’ head coach in the middle of 2024, and Whitecotton was free to sign with Dallas this year.
Unlike most of the Cowboys’ current defensive staff, Whitecotton is not an “Eberflus guy.” He’d never worked with Eberflus, or even had a findable connection, before this year. In fact, there really isn’t a tangible connection between Whitecotton and Brian Schottenheimer. They have both worked for the Jaguars but never at the same time.
When Dallas made Whitecotton their DL coach, it seemed to be mainly based on the merit of his work with the New York Jets, helping Quinnen Williams become an elite interior lineman and the centerpiece of an otherwise strong defense. Before going to New York in 2021, Whitecotton was the DL coach for a reputable 49ers defense and known entities like Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw.
With over a decade of NFL experience now, Whitecotton seems like he’d be ready for a crack at coordinator duties. Of course, it’s a moot point if the Cowboys do a clean sweep of the defensive staff. But as we saw with Schottenheimer in last year’s head coaching search, this front office was willing to go with the guy they wanted despite the lack of splash or the risk of criticism. If Whitecotton has made a fan of Schotty or the Jones family, he could be as viable as any outside candidate.
Some have suggested that Whitecotton is already being auditioned for the role in these final weeks of the season. Eberflus moved from the sideline to the booth for Week 16 against the Chargers, while Whitecotton received more responsibility as the lead coach on the sideline. It’s not a great opportunity given that these are now meaningless games for the Cowboys and their last two opponents, and that Eberflus is still looming over everything. But it does show a degree of interest in Whitecotton over the rest of Eberflus’ assistants.
At the very least, it’s not hard to imagine he’d retain the DL job while they make an outside hire for coordinator. Whitecotton is someone they may want to see more of in a different scheme. His strong relationship with Quinnen Williams, now the bedrock of Dallas’ defense, also helps his chances. Whitecotton may even get another duty like Defensive Run Game Coordinator to further his development and evaluation as a future DC option.
We know this front office isn’t worried about pushing guys they like on a new coordinator or head coach. They famously did it with Jason Garrett as Wade Phillips’ offensive coordinator in 2007, and again with Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy in 2020. And given Eberflus’ history with the Cowboys organization, rather than Schottenheimer, some would argue that it happened again this year. So if they do like Whitecotton enough to keep him on as an assistant, if not more, it may not matter what the next DC would prefer.
Given how notoriously awful the 2025 defense was, there could be some incentive to bring in an outside guy and go for a headline-making hire. And for all we know, Whitecotton may get tossed out in a complete purge of this defensive staff. But given his experience and how he arrived in Dallas, he’s the one internal guy who may be part of the conversation for the Cowboys’ next defensive coordinator.
