The NFL season is over for all but a select few franchises. As far as our dear Cowboys go, it’s been weeks since anything on the field really mattered, barring the final determination of their 2026 NFL Draft position.

With the dust of a not so impressive 7-9-1 season finally settled, the higher ups in Dallas are going to address the team’s most glaring flaw. While the overall construction of the roster was poor, the defense was still the weakest point for the Cowboys in 2025.

So, it came as no surprise when Matt Eberflus was shown the door, ending his tenure in Dallas after only a year in charge of team D.

With Eberflus out of the picture, the Dallas Cowboys have started an extensive search for their new defensive coordinator. The team wasted no time in interviewing the candidates who the front office deemed worthy.

Aaron Whitecotton was the first man interviewed as he is currently contracted to the team and works as the DL coach.

The other two names that have already talked to the FO are former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, and Ravens DC Zachary Orr.

Now, three more names have been added to the pot.

The number of names in contention for defensive coordinator currently stands at six, and there are no signs that the search is anywhere near the end.

The new names on the shortlist are well known across the league, and they include Jim Leonhard, who currently serves as the Denver Broncos defensive pass game coordinator, Ephraim Banda, employed by the Cleveland Browns as safeties coach, and Daronte Jones, who is currently with the Minnesota Vikings as their defensive pass game coordinator.

Considering just how poor the Dallas Cowboys were on D during 2025, it is no wonder that the only internal candidate is Whitecotton.

Last season was his first year on the team. Before moving to Texas, he spent four years in New York, where he served as defensive line coach for the Jets. While he was the first man to be interviewed, most international betting sites do not see him as a favorite to land the gig.

What puts him in contention is the proximity he has had during his career to Quinnen Williams, with whom he has worked in NY and now in Dallas too, and who is one of the main stars on the new Cowboys D.

Considering that the team is building their defensive side of the ball around Williams, having someone close to him in an important role on the coaching staff might be important. But, that’s not the only factor.

Quinnen Williams has had the best years of his career from the moment he was paired with Whitecotton. Also, Whitecotton has been in the league for over a decade, starting his coaching career way back in 2013.

What works against Whitecotton is the fact that so far in his career he has never held the position of Defensive Coordinator.

We believe that the next candidate, Orr, a born and bred Texan from Desoto, Texas and having a college career tied to University of North Texas, is a more suitable candidate.

After ending his career prematurely due to an injury, the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker started his coaching career as a defensive assistant to John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

After a few years with the Ravens, he moved down to Florida, where he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff as an outside linebackers coach under Urban Meyer.

Interestingly enough, the current head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer, was part of the same team as the pass game coordinator.

After only one year with the Jags, Orr went back to Baltimore where he worked as an inside linebackers coach for two years before being promoted to the position of defensive coordinator.

Under Orr’s leadership, the Ravens managed to have a top 10 defense in his first season, and were the number one defense against the run.

Last season, they were the 24th ranked team in total defense, but managed to retain a top 10 spot as far as run defense goes.

Lastly, Jonathan Gannon is receiving serious consideration by the Dallas Cowboys front office. The reason is simple: The Cowboys love to hire former head coaches as DCs.

Also, they’ve had more than their fair share of success by doing so. Just take a look at Dan Quinn. You can also look further back, as they’ve shown the same pattern during their last five defensive coordinator hiring processes.

While Jonathan Gannon didn’t have an impressive run with the Cardinals, wrapping up his tenure with a 15-36 overall record, some of his defensive teams weren’t as bad as his record suggests.

During the Cardinals win over the Cowboys in 2025, Arizona held the Cowboys to only 17 points, which was the lowest tally for the Texas team on the year, and that’s a good talking point for Gannon and his candidacy for the Cowboys DC position.

Furthermore, Gannon has experience working under pressure in the NFC East as he spent two years as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, holding the Birds at the top of the league as far as defensive rating goes.

With experience of leading one of the league’s best defensive units to the Super Bowl, and years of being a defensive coach under the likes of Mike Zimmer, who also has close ties to Dallas, Gannon just might be the ideal candidate at the moment.

While the position of defensive coordinator in Dallas remains open, it is a position that needs to be closed as soon as possible.

The coaching carousel started with more than a few head coaches being let go, together with their coordinators, and the league is currently in turmoil with the likes of John Harbaugh (formerly) and Mike McDaniel being on the market.

Top coaches need to be taken off the board, if they’re not to be taken by another team.

At the moment, the Dallas Cowboys are widening their search, but don’t be surprised if they start deleting names from their shortlist in the coming days and weeks.

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