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By Richie Whitt
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With one of their main targets off the board, the Dallas Cowboys are narrowing their search for a new defensive coordinator to a group of four candidates including one from the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Owner/general manager Jerry Jones' No. 1 priority this offseason is to repair the NFL's worst defense. The Cowboys ranked last in the league and set a franchise record by allowing 30.1 points per game in 2025. Despite 4,552 passing yards and 30 touchdowns by quarterback Dak Prescott, the Cowboys finished 7-9-1 because of a defense that coughed up 22 or more points to 16 of 17 opponents.
The first move in the rebuilding the defense was to fire coordinator Matt Eberflus immediately after the season ended. Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer then commenced their search, promising to "cast a wide net" for Eberflus' successor.
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The process began via virtual interviews with nine candidates. On that list was veteran coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, but new Atlanta Falcons' head coach Kevin Stefanski announced this week that Ulbrich was staying put.
The Cowboys reportedly have now trimmed the original list to focus on four candidates, including Eagles' assistant Christian Parker. Poaching a coach from the staff of a heated division rival was once taboo in the NFL, but two years ago Cowboys' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn bolted Dallas to become head coach of the Washington Commanders.
Four candidates will have have in-person interviews at Cowboys' headquarters at The Star in Frisco this week: Parker (Eagles' defensive backs coach), Daronte Jones (Minnesota Vikings' passing game coordinator), Jonathan Gannon (former Arizona Cardinals' head coach) and Jim Leonhard (Denver Broncos' passing game coordinator).
Parker is only 34, but is credited with helping groom All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain during his time on the Broncos' staff, and with the development of rising star defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with the Eagles.
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