There is finally movement in the coaching carousel, and every hire could have a direct impact on the Dallas Cowboys as they hunt for a new defensive coordinator.
The Giants and John Harbaugh finally agreed to terms on a five-year contract. It's the first domino to fall, and football fans can expect more hires to follow suit. The Falcons responded just hours later by hiring two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach.
Why is this relevant to Dallas? NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is hearing that Stefanski will "likely keep" Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Former Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus believes that Dallas wants Ulbrich as its defensive coordinator. The Cowboys were denied by the Falcons when they requested an interview with Ulbrich.
Cowboys may not even get the chance to interview Jeff Ulbrich for DC job
"I think they're waiting on that Ulbrich from Atlanta," Broaddus said on the Doin' Alright podcast. "I think they're waiting to see who Atlanta hires. I think they want Jeff Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator."
Broaddus even believes that Dallas would hire Ulbrich over Jim Leonhard, who is many fans' top choice to replace Matt Eberflus.
"I'm not saying it with my chest out. But I'm saying it that I think they're hopeful that Atlanta knocks out this head coaching search for them, and it determines if they want to keep Ulbrich or not. If we had Schotty on set right now and asked him, he probably wouldn't say it on camera when the red light's on."
Regardless of where Ulbrich stands in the pecking order, it's clear the Cowboys would give him a serious look if he managed to shake free from Atlanta.
It was speculated that Stefanski could bring Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz with him to Atlanta. The one roadblock there, though, is that Schwartz is getting a second interview with Cleveland for its head coaching vacancy, so he might not even leave the Dawg Pound.
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It isn't official yet that the Falcons are keeping Ulbrich, but the Cowboys have all but bowed out of the Ulbrich sweepstakes. That is a shame, because Broaddus' reporting made it sound like Dallas would move quickly to hire Ulbrich if he became available, even if it meant punting on Jim Leonhard, who's already been linked to the Giants' DC vacancy to reunite with Harbaugh.
It's easy to see why Falcons owner Arthur Blank has blocked Ulbrich from talking with other teams.
A year after ranking 31st in sacks, Atlanta broke its single-season franchise record with 57 sacks this season. Only the Broncos had more. Ulbrich dialed up the second-most blitzes of any team with 208. Only the Vikings' Brian Flores (that name should ring a bell) called more blitzes.
The Falcons were also a sound tackling team under Ulbrich, as they allowed the fifth-fewest yards after the catch. They also had a knack for generating takeaways, ranking eighth with 1.4 takeaways per game and seventh with a 2.56 percent interception rate.
Ulbrich checks almost every box. He'd be a great hire, but at his rate, it would be shocking if the Cowboys even get him in the building for an interview.