The Cowboys’ defensive coordinator search is on.
After the firing of Matt Eberflus, Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones are searching for the next leader of the Dallas defense in 2026.
Below is everything we know about the Cowboys’ search, including candidates, interviews and the latest news.
Interviews
Cowboys
Jim Leonhard
The latest: The Cowboys requested to interview Leonhard, a Broncos defensive assistant, on Jan. 8.
Dallas scheduled an interview with Leonard for Jan. 10, a person familiar with the situation told The Dallas Morning News.
Notable: Leonhard is a former defensive back in the NFL, spending the 2005-14 seasons with the Bills, Ravens, Jets, Broncos, Saints, Bills and Browns. He has some familiarity with Brian Schottenheimer, as his stint as a player for the Jets from 2009-11 overlapped with Schottenheimer’s stint as the Jets’ offensive coordinator from 2006-11. Leonhard has spent the last two seasons as the Broncos’ defensive pass game coordinator, helping guide a Denver defense that has been among the league’s best. He has never been a defensive coordinator at the NFL level, but was the DC at his alma mater Wisconsin from 2017-22.
Daronte Jones
The latest: The Cowboys requested to interview him for their DC opening on Jan. 8, as did the New York Jets, per Adam Schefter.
Dallas scheduled an interview with Jones for Jan. 9, a person familiar with the situation told The Dallas Morning News.
Notable: Jones is a name to know during this year’s NFL coaching carousel as one of the hotter defensive assistants. Jones broke through for his first NFL job in 2016 as the Dolphins’ assistant defensive backs coach. Since then, he was a defensive assistant for the Bengals from 2018-19, the Vikings in 2020, then spent the 2021 season as LSU’s defensive coordinator before returning to Minnesota’s staff in 2022 as a defensive backs coach. When Brian Flores arrived in Minnesota in 2023, Jones’ title changed to defensive pass coordinator. Flores has helped transform the Vikings’ defense into one of the league’s best and Jones has been a key part of that transformation.
Ephraim Banda
The latest: The Cowboys requested to speak to Banda to about their defensive coordinator vacancy on Jan. 8.
Dallas scheduled an interview with Banda for Jan. 9, a person familiar with the situation told The Dallas Morning News.
Notable: Banda doesn’t have many skins on the wall as an NFL coach, as he got his first gig in the league as the Browns’ safeties coach in 2023 after spending over a decade in the college ranks. Prior to coming onto Cleveland’s staff, Banda was the defensive coordinator at Utah State. While the Browns have been among the NFL’s worst teams since Banda’s arrival, it certainly hasn’t been due to Cleveland’s defense. In 2025, the Browns’ defense finished fourth in the NFL in total defense, third in passing defense. Despite Cleveland’s success on the defensive side of the ball, Banda’s status with the team is up in the air after the firing of head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Jeff Ulbrich
The latest: Dallas requested to interview Ulbrich for its defensive coordinator opening on Jan. 8 but was denied by the Falcons.
Notable: Despite Atlanta firing head coach Raheem Morris, Ulbrich is still under contract with the Falcons. The Cowboys could get a chance to interview him Atlanta’s next head coach has different ideas at defensive coordinator. Ulbrich is a former NFL player with plenty of experience as a defensive coordinator. He was a linebacker for the 49ers from 2000-09 and went right into coaching after his career ended. He spent time with the Seahawks and UCLA before joining Dan Quinn’s staff in Atlanta from 2015-2020. Ulbrich got his first DC gig with the Jets in 2021 and served in that role until he became the Falcons’ DC in 2025.
Other potential candidates
Cowboys insider Joseph Hoyt listed these other coaches in his initial candidates list:
– Jonathan Gannon, Jim Schwartz, Brian Flores, Raheem Morris, Leslie Frazier, Mike Pettine, Cory Undlin, Aaron Whitecotton
The latest stories
— Handful of candidates emerge for Cowboys’ defensive coordinator vacancy
— The Cowboys will take a different tack in search for 4th defensive coordinator in 4 years
— Moving on from Matt Eberflus is only the first step in fixing Cowboys’ defensive mess
— What we know about Matt Eberflus firing: How Cowboys got here, potential targets and more
— Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus fired after one season
— Who will be next Cowboys defensive coordinator? Here are some candidates
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