Jan 07, 2026
3 min read
Each of the Cowboys' five defensive coordinators is a former NFL head coach.Will Dallas follow suit when hiring its fourth defensive coordinator in as many years?
FRISCO, Texas - For the fourth time in as many years, the Cowboys are looking for a new defensive coordinator.
On Tuesday, Dallas made the decision to move on from Matt Eberflus after a season in which they played a defense that allowed a franchise-record 511 total points to opponents during the season.
Now it's back to the drawing board.With so much movement around the NFL, some potential options have emerged that fit the mold the Cowboys have chosen for each of their last five defensive coordinators: former NFL head coaches.
First up is Raheem Morris, who was released by the Atlanta Falcons after their Week 18 win over the New Orleans Saints.In two seasons as the head coach of the Falcons, Morris went 8-9 in both seasons.The Falcons improved from 23rd in passing defense to 15th in 2025 and finished in the top 10 in sacks with 23, good for seventh in the league.
Morris is a two-time Super Bowl champion, the first of which came in 2002 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive quality coach under Jon Gruden.On that staff, Morris worked for two former Cowboys defensive coordinators in Mont Kiffin, who was the DC in Tampa Bay, and Rod Marinelli, assistant head coach/DL coach.
His second Super Bowl title came as defensive coordinator for the Rams in 2021, his first season with the team.Los Angeles ranked in the top 10 in run defense and sack defense under Morris that season, with All-Pros Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey leading the unit.
The mutual relationship between Morris and Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is current Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. When Quinn was the head coach of the Falcons from 2015 to 2020, Morris served on his staff as an assistant head coach, serving as offensive and defensive passing game coordinator, WR coach, and DB coach during his first four years. During his final season in Atlanta in 2020, by the FalconsMorris became the defensive coordinator and eventually served as interim head coach after the decision was made to move on from Quinn.
Schottenheimer and Quinn worked together with the Cowboys in 2022 and 2023, with Schottenheimer serving as a scout and offensive coordinator while Quinn was Mike McCarthy's defensive coordinator.The two spent a lot of time together in 2022, as Schottenheimer's role saw him in the defensive back room to give Quinn and the defense offensive ideas on how to break up other looks.
The two still talk often, and part of Schottenheimer's annual offseason process is to ask about coaches around the league from the many colleagues he's made over the years as an NFL coach.Maybe Morris is a name that comes up in conversation between the two that makes sense for Dallas.
Here's an interesting twist with Morris. Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, the Falcons also had two first-round picks (after trading up from the second round to get a second-round pick), as did the Cowboys in the 2026 NFL Draft. In 2024, Atlanta's defense had the second-fewest sacks in the NFL with 31. Then, the Falcons and the Falcons drew twofirst Walker.Tennessee player James Pierce Jr.
Another former coach with ties to the Cowboys staff is Jonathan Gannon, who was also fired after Week 18 after three seasons as the Cardinals' coach.Gannon posted a 15-36 record in his first NFL head coaching job.
Prior to being hired by the Cardinals, Gannon was the Eagles' defensive coordinator for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.In both seasons, Philadelphia ranked in the top 10 defense in yards allowed.Gannon helped the Eagles win the NFC in 2022 and reach Super Bowl LVII, where they eventually lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Early in his coaching career, Gannon spent three seasons with the St. Louis Rams as a college scout in 2009 and then was a professional scout in 2010 and 2011 before returning to coaching. His work evaluating players and personnel may be one area of his resume that stands out.
Just this season, Gannon's defense held the Cowboys offense to 17 points in Week 9, which was tied for their lowest offense of the season.In that game, Arizona had five sacks, two sacks and two fumbles in a 27-17 win over the Cardinals at AT&T Stadium.
Gannon's connection to the Cowboys is with offensive coordinator Clayton Adams, who Gannon hired as offensive line coach for the 2023-24 season.Before that, Gannon and Adams worked together with the Colts in 2019 and 2020, with Adams as an assistant offensive line coach and Gannon as the running backs coach.
Like Morris, Gannon also worked alongside two former Cowboys defensive coordinators, Mike Zimmer and Matt Aberfuss.When Zimmer was the head coach of the Vikings, Gannon was the assistant defensive backs coach from 2014-17.His next role was as the Colts' defensive backs coach from 2018-20, when Aberplus was Indianapolis' defensive coordinator.
Those are the only two names Brian Schottenheimer could call around for the now-vacant defensive coordinator position.There are also options that are currently under contract with their teams, but that are relevant to the Cowboys and could be considered.With Morris and Gannon, they could also have head interviews for one of the current vacancies around the league.So maybe other coordinators/defensive coaches under contract elsewhere that would be of interest to Dallas.
The Cowboys will have their fair share of options in a wide pool of defensive coordinator options and hope that whoever takes the next job can finally provide the continuity they've been looking for at the position.The Cowboys can begin conducting interviews on Wednesday.
