Dallas requested to interview four defensive assistants around the league, but were denied permission to speak with one candidate.
The Cowboys’ search for their next defensive coordinator is officially underway after they dismissed Matt Eberflus on Tuesday.
A handful of candidates have emerged as the Cowboys requested permission on Thursday to interview Broncos pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard, Vikings pass game coordinator Daronte Jones and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, a person with direct knowledge of the requests told The Dallas Morning News.
Dallas also wanted to speak with Atlanta defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich but the Falcons denied the request, another person familiar with the situation told The News. Ulbrich is still under contract despite Atlanta firing coach Raheem Morris.
The Cowboys are in search of their fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons, as the position has been a revolving door since Dan Quinn left to become the Commanders’ head coach.
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Owner and general manager Jerry Jones indicated this week that he may stray from his prior hiring philosophy and consider a first-time defensive coordinator.
“There is an advantage to having your proverbial you know what kicked and still living to tell about it, and been shot and hid in the foxhole and come on back and have a go,” Jones said Wednesday, referring to his hiring tendencies for defensive coordinators. “That philosophy has not worked several times around here. … I like to have guys that have had hard times and they’ve come back and had the chance to redeem themselves.
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“I say to our fans: The way we’ve done it, I assure you, that the way we’ve done it in the past, that alone will cause me not to do it that way now.”
None of the three candidates the Cowboys have requested to interview have prior experience as an NFL defensive coordinator.
Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer emphasized that communication and an ability to teach players will be a priority.
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“What we ask our players to do in all three phases is complicated. We want guys that can say complicated information in a simple manner,” Schottenheimer said Wednesday, “and if I say something to you that you don’t understand, I need the ability to say it in a different way — the same message, but in a different way, because how you learn might be different.
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“I think that’s a starting point for me.”
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