Feb. 4, 2026, 5:33 a.m. ET
When the Washington Commanders hired Daronte Jones as defensive coordinator last week, we began connecting the dots about which coaches could follow him to Washington.
One of those names was former Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon. Dixon was Minnesota’s defensive line coach for the past two seasons, working with Jones, who served as the defensive backs coach/defensive pass game coordinator.
However, Dixon will not be following Jones to Washington. On Monday, he chose his next destination, joining new Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Christian Parker in Dallas. Parker, like Jones, is a first-time NFL defensive coordinator. The 34-year-old Parker worked with Dixon for two seasons in Denver before going to the Vikings in 2024.
This was an outstanding hire for the Cowboys. It’s also worth noting that while we and others connected the dots for Dixon to the Commanders, it’s uncertain if they were even trying to hire him. Washington did move on from three assistants last weekend, including franchise legend Ryan Kerrigan, but defensive line coach Darryl Tapp remains.
The Commanders like Tapp. And it’s not like he has had elite talent to work with over the last two years, especially at edge rusher. You could make the case that Washington should make sweeping changes in the secondary instead of the defensive line. One of the Commanders’ assistants in the secondary, defensive passing game coordinator Jason Simmons, took the same position with the Steelers.
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More changes are coming for Washington. Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic was the first to report last week that the Commanders were looking to bring in someone to oversee the front seven, with the goal of improving the pass rush. Jones will make additional hires, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a new defensive line coach.
Stay tuned.