It was always going to be a longshot, and that was clear even before the Dallas Cowboys took up what has been a decidedly lengthy process of filling the key defensive coordinator’s role that has been unfilled since the team fired former coordinator Matt Eberflus just after the season ended. But the Cowboys had an up-close look at how difficult the defense of Vikings coordinator Brian Flores could be in Week 15, when Minnesota’s pressure helped lead it to a 34-26 win.
With Flores and the Vikings at a loggerheads over his contract, there had been some hope that he would be a true free agent here in the offseason, and that perhaps the Cowboys could poach him with a big offer to be their defensive coordinator.
Alas, on Wednesday night, word came down that Flores–who is still a head-coaching candidate in Baltimore and Pittsburgh–will be staying in Minnesota as the defensive coordinator on a new contract for 2026. Flores is allowed to accept a head-coaching gig if he is offered, but he will be back with the Vikings if he is not.
Brian Flores Was Also a Longshot
It’s hard to call the re-signing of Flores in Minnesota a blow to the Cowboys’ defensive search, which has already been extensive, with nine candidates interviewed in the initial round. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said repeatedly that he did not believe Flores would leave the team to take another DC job and, indeed, that’s how it has played out. The Cowboys’ chance at Flores was always infinitesimal.
The Cowboys are putting a lot more into this hire than they’ve typically done in past cycles. That could well be an acknowledgment of the importance of getting things right with their next defensive coordinator, after the last two–Mike Zimmer and Eberflus–lasted only one season.
Dallas has Dak Prescott still at quarterback, and Prescott showed last season that, after an injury-marred 2024, he was still elite at his position. But it was the defense that came up short, finishing 32nd in the NFL in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed.
Cowboys Have Been Casting a ‘Wide Net’
In talking about the DC search, team VP Stephen Jones told DallasCowboys.com that the team is willing to look far an wide.
Said Jones: “We’re going to cast a wide net, whether it’s half a dozen, ten, 12 coaches when it’s all said and done. I don’t know what that number will be, but then we’ll narrow it down. We’re already starting to narrow it down and we’ll start to bring guys in for in-person interviews, some of the guys that we felt were the guys that would fit.”
ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that the team has three second-round interviews set up so far, including with Vikings pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, who’s currently working for Flores.
Wrote Archer: “Cowboys defensive coordinator update: Jonathan Gannon interviews in-person Tuesday. Christian Parker interviews in-person Wednesday. With Daronte Jones, those are the three in-person interviews so far. Jim Leonhard remains in the running but can’t have an in-person talk yet.”
Leonhard is an assistant coach for the Broncos, and is likely to meet with the Cowboys after the AFC Championship Game.
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