The Dallas Cowboys are in the hunt for a new defensive coordinator after firing Matt Eberflus. The decision was Jerry Jones’ instead of head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s, contrary to what happens in most NFL teams. Unsurprisingly, with an involved owner like Jones, that’s not too far-fetched, which explains why most assumed he’d be running the hiring process, too. However, when asked about the same, the 83-year-old veered off script instead, drawing a weird comparison to Donald Trump’s controversial remarks about Venezuela.

“Trump just said it, ‘I’m running Venezuela,” Jones said laughing, before walking back on his claim.

“Seriously, Schotty had everything to do with hiring Matt Eberflus last time. No way in the world is he here if Schotty didn’t want him here. Let me be real clear about that, but I particularly had a part when we got to have him [Eberflus] come in, and I was excited about the uniqueness of his staff. I’ve done it with consensus since the first day I walked through the door here. We’ll do it the same way we hired Flus. We’ll do it together and come up with as good as we can.”

A good hiring will be all the more important for Dallas after their 2025 season run clearly showed a dysfunctional defensive unit. Finishing 30th overall (377.0 yards per game) and last in points allowed (30.1), Eberflus’ tenure turned out even worse than his predecessor, Mike Zimmer, in 2024 (27.5 points allowed and 355.2 yards per game, the second and fifth-worst averages, respectively).

“We’ve got to do a better job of when we have a change that needs to be made for our own volition,” Jones said on what they’ll be looking at during the hiring process. “We got to do a better job of picking who’s going in there. Brian, again, will be very involved in that process as we were last year when we made those changes. We’ll do a very intense, complete, focused job of replacing Eberflus and any holes that are left here because of Flus’ job.”

For over a decade, the Cowboys have followed a specific strategy of hiring former NFL head coaches to lead their defense. This approach is intended to allow offensive-minded head coaches, like current leader Brian Schottenheimer, to focus entirely on the offense while a seasoned veteran manages the other side of the ball. However, after the high-profile failure of the Eberflus era, which saw the team trade away star playmaker Micah Parsons, the front office must now decide whether to stick with this veteran-heavy plan or pivot toward a new philosophy.

If the team decides to maintain its current pattern, several experienced names are likely at the top of its list. Candidates like Brian Flores, Raheem Morris, and Jonathan Gannon all have experience as NFL head coaches and are known for building tough, disciplined units. Flores specifically made a strong impression on the Cowboys’ staff after his Minnesota Vikings defense dominated Dallas late in the season. Gannon also remains a strong contender due to his familiarity with the organization and his deep understanding of the team’s rivals in the NFC East.

On the other hand, the Cowboys could look toward “rising stars” who have yet to hold a head coaching job. Aden Durde, a former Cowboys assistant now in Seattle, is a popular name among players and fans alike. Jim Leonhard is another highly respected candidate currently coaching in Denver with ties to Schottenheimer. Additionally, Jeff Ulbrich has gained a reputation for quickly improving every defensive unit he leads.

With Jones essentially confirming that it’s “not a requirement to have been a head coach” and that he’s open to hiring first-timers, the search gets all the more interesting…

Especially with Brian Schottenheimer also having a long list of requirements.

Schottenheimer is clear about what he wants in his next defensive coordinator

“I think we want a teacher,” the head coach said on Wednesday. “I love what Jerry said. We want to cast a wide net of candidates and find someone that’s a great teacher, a great communicator.

We want guys that can say complicated information in a simple manner. The best coaches, in my opinion, are flexible. So we’re not going to pigeonhole ourselves and say ‘hey, we have to be 3-4, four down [linemen] or whatever it is. I’ve been in the West Coast system, the digit play calling system on offense. I played for Steve Spurrier in the fun and gun right? Good coaches take the players that they have, they’ve got an identity. They take their players, and they fit their players into the model that fits what they do well.”

And for the new DC coming in, that shouldn’t be too hard when you’ve got players like Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clarj, Osa Odighizuwa, Donovan Ezeirauku, DeMarvion Overshownn or DaRon Bland. But with how this season went, it also won’t take long for it go the other way either.

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Regardless, the pressure is on Dallas to find a long-term solution and fix a defense that reached an all-time low last year.