The Dallas Cowboys‘ backs are up against the wall. With just four games remaining in the regular season, their chances of making the playoffs are extremely low. They need to win out, plus they need other teams to collapse down the stretch. More than likely, their season will come to an end once the final whistle blows on their Week 18 game against the Giants from Met Life Stadium.
And when that happens, they will have two clear things to blame. For one, their defense hasn’t been able to stop anybody for much of the seaon. For two, their special teams units has made things ridiulously hard on a already compromised defense, by allowing great field position after Dallas’ offense scores. Those factors have put a ton of pressure on Dak Prescott and the rest of Brian Schottenheimer’s offense far too often.
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Despite the need for continuity, the Cowboys are going to need to revamp what they’ve done on two of three units in football, and that likely should include finding new coordinators for each unit.
If and when the Cowboys move on from Matt Eberflus and Nick Sorensen next month, Dallas would be extremely fortunate were another team to follow through on larger, wholesale changes. The Cleveland Browns are on track to win less than five games after only winning three games in 2024. Their latest loss, included one of the most mind-numbing late-game decisions fans have seen in 2025.
Kevin Stefanksi and staff were already on shaky ground before this specific play; Cowboys Wire already highlighted the potential in a mock offseason article that ran prior to Sunday’s games. But this play reiterated how likely it is the Browns have a new coaching staff incoming, and if that’s the case, and Dallas moves on from their two coordinators, they should heavily consider hiring soon-to-be former Browns defensive coordinator, and soon-to-be former Browns special teams coordinator Ray “Bubba” Ventrone.
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Fit with Schottenheimer is an impotant factor, maybe the most important factor. Synergy among coaching staffs if imperative for a team trying to establish a unified culture. How the Cowboys’ first-year head coach feels about either is unknown. But they have been stellar in a situation where they’ve been the reverse of the 2025 Cowboys, and have done so for years.
With no help from the offense, they consistently rank among the best units in the NFL.
Jim Schwartz
Schwartz, the DC in Philadelphia when they won the Super Bowl in 2017, has been with the Browns for the last three seasons. Cleveland ranks second in team defense (PFF) this season, after finishing eighth in 2024 and sixth in 2023. They had ranked 26th the year before his arrival.
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The Browns’ defensive DVOA rating, which bases evals on performance, game situations and opponent strength ranks fourth this year a 13.3% stingier than the average defense would’ve performed on a play-by-play basis. In 2023, they ranked second with a whopping -20.7% score.
Bubba Ventrone
Jan 28, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team head coach Bubba Ventrone of the Cleveland Browns directs drills during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Meanwhile, Ventrone has received kudos and marks as a potential head coach one day from the league itself. An assistant head coach, it may be more difficult to land him than the grizzled Schwartz, but he’d be worth the effort to reach out.
The Browns’ ST units graded out as 18th best before he arrived, then improved to 12th in 2023 and jumped up to 4th in 2024 and are currently sixth this season.
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If the Browns offload their coaching staff this offseason, the Cowboys’ front office needs to quickly move to secure one or both of these standout coordinators.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: If Cowboys fire coordinators, Browns staff could hold key to quick fix