For the fourth straight NFL offseason, the Dallas Cowboys are staring down a defensive coordinator vacancy and trying to do something different.
After a 2025 campaign in which Dallas‘ defense cratered to the bottom of the league, the team dismissed defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, thrusting owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones into another highstakes search for someone to reverse the unit’s fortunes.
According to league sources, the Cowboys have requested permission to interview three coaches for the defensive coordinator role: Minnesota Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, Denver Broncos assistant head coach and pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard, and Cleveland Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda.
Dallas finished the 2025 season ranked last in points allowed, surrendering 30.1 per game, a historically poor effort that became impossible to ignore after a 791 finish that kept the Cowboys out of playoff contention for the second straight year.
The sheer turnover at defensive coordinator in Dallas has raised eyebrows across the league. Eberflus‘ departure marks the fourth different coach to occupy the role in as many seasons, following Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer and others before them.
Inside the search and what Dallas wants
For a franchise built on defensive tradition in past decades, finding the right voice to revive that side of the ball has proven elusive. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer and Jones have emphasized that communication, teaching ability and schematic flexibility are at the top of their wish list.
“We want guys that can say complicated information in a simple manner,” Schottenheimer said at the team’s season-end news conference.
“If I say something to you that you don’t understand, I need the ability to say it a different way, the same message but a different way.”
Jones echoed that idea while talking about the broader offseason approach, touching on the need to improve across the roster, including the defensive staff.
His comments have also included a willingness to open the checkbook and make bold moves this offseason, sometimes even using the phrase “bust the budget,” which has sparked discussion among fans and analysts about whether Dallas will follow through with heavy offseason spending.
If that spending comes, the new defensive coordinator will walk into a roster with some key pieces but also clear holes, specifically in terms of takeaways and pass defense.
While the Cowboys boast attractive offensive metrics under Schottenheimer, it’s the defense that stifled expectations and ultimately lost them games.
The Cowboys are reportedly targeting three main candidates for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
Daronte Jones, who has a strong track record coaching defensive backs and helped the Vikings‘ secondary rank near the top of the league in 2025, though he has not yet called NFL defensive plays.
Jim Leonhard, a former Wisconsin defensive coordinator and interim head coach, with a longstanding relationship with Brian Schottenheimer and experience with the Broncos‘ defense.
Also up for consideration is Ephraim Banda, a younger coach currently with the Browns, whose résumé includes college defensive coordinator roles and a reputation for versatility and player development.
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