The Dallas Cowboys seemingly aren't in any rush to hire a new defensive coordinator. They've done due diligence on nine candidates and asked a handful of potential finalists to take a second interview at The Star.
Brian Schottenheimer appears to be waiting to bring Broncos pass game specialist Jim Leonhard back for a second interview, but that won’t be possible until after the AFC Championship Game following Denver's overtime win over the Bills in the Divisional Round.
Whoever the Cowboys end up hiring, the ultimate goal is for the defense to take pressure off Dak Prescott and the offense, which needed to be perfect to win games in 2025. While Prescott may be consulted during the interview process, he certainly won’t have the final say.
That said, Dan Rogers of Blogging The Boys unearthed a jaw-dropping commonality among the candidates who have interviewed for the job: Prescott struggled against each of them this year.
Dak Prescott's 3 worst games this season in terms of QB rating were:
— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) January 17, 2026
1. 51.5 against the Broncos (Jim Leonhard)
2. 76.6 against the Eagles (Christian Parker)
3. 77.9 against the Cardinals (Jonathan Gannon)
The Cowboys are interviewing defensive coaches who give Dak problems.
Cowboys are interviewing DC candidates who Dak Prescott has struggled against
Prescott's struggles against the Cowboys' candidates go beyond just QBR. His four-worst completion percentages of the season came in Week 15 against the Vikings (60.5 percent), Week 8 against the Broncos (61.3 percent), Week 9 against the Cardinals (61.5 percent), and Week 1 vs. the Eagles (61.8 percent).
Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones was the first candidate to interview a second time. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Jones impressed in his meetings and has been "the surprise of the search so far".
Ex-Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is not winning the popularity contest amongst Cowboys fans. That would be an understatement. While Dallas should think twice about hiring another "failed' head coach, Gannon is not Matt Eberflus. He brings a weird energy to the table, but he's really sound from an X's and O's standpoint, and he's willing to adapt on the fly.
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Christian Parker, meanwhile, has transformed the Eagles' secondary since he was hired as defensive backs coach in 2024. Prescott failed to throw a touchdown in Week 1 against Parker's secondary, and his 188 passing yards were tied for his second-worst total of the season.
The Cowboys' offense was unstoppable for large stretches this year, but there were also spurts where they couldn't sustain drives or find the end zone on drives where they marched down the field.
Some of that is due to Schottenheimer's situational play-calling, but it's not hard to understand why Dallas has zeroed in on coaches who gave Prescott fits in 2025. Any coach who is capable of presenting challenges for a QB of Prescott's caliber should have the Cowboys' full attention.
It certainly doesn't seem like a coincidence that Prescott's worst performances this season came against the consensus favorites for the DC opening.