Jan. 23, 2026, 11:42 a.m. CT

The Thursday hiring of Christian Parker as defensive coordinator in no way means the Cowboys‘ 2026 coaching staff is locked. Parker may have changes he wants to make to build his own defensive staff, and current assistants may yet explore new options or draw interest from other clubs also undergoing offseason turnover.

Count Aaron Whitecotton among that latter group. The Cowboys defensive line coach has been requested for an interview with the Tennessee Titans for their current defensive coordinator position, per a report Friday from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The Titans announced Robert Saleh as their new head coach earlier this week, prompting many observers to expect a call to Whitecotton, given the long history shared by the two.

Whitecotton and Saleh first overlapped from 2014 to 2016 as assistants in Jacksonville. Then in 2020, for what proved to be his final year as 49ers head coach, Saleh brought Whitecotton to San Francisco as assistant D-line coach. In 2021, Saleh moved to the Jets head coaching job, and he once again brought Whitecotton with him, this time making him his defensive line coach.

Whitecotton just finished his first year as Cowboys defensive line coach, overseeing a major re-tooling in personnel. He was considered one of the main reasons why the midseason trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams- who Whitecotton coached in New York- was successful for Dallas, and he helped turn the group from a liability in 2024 to a strength by the end of the 2025 season.

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In a testament to that turnaround, Whitecotton was among those whom the Cowboys interviewed for their defensive coordinator role after firing Matt Eberflus and was the only internal candidate to get such consideration.

A 13-year coaching veteran in the NFL who has been with five teams, Whitecotton is also slated to serve on staff in the East-West Shrine Bowl, the collegiate all-star game set to be played at Ford Center in Frisco on Jan. 27. Whitecotton will be the East team’s defensive coordinator, looking to shut down the offense of the West, skippered by head coach Lunda Wells, who is currently the Cowboys’ tight ends coach.

But the two may find themselves on opposite sidelines on a more permanent basis if Whitecotton’s talks with the Titans go well.

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