The Dallas Cowboys have made a ton of changes to their defense -- justifiably so -- after the disastrous 2025 season. The first move head coach Brian Schottenheimer made to get the unit back on track was hiring Christian Parker away from the Philadelphia Eagles as his new defensive coordinator.
While stealing a top assistant coach from a division rival is sweet on multiple levels, the Cowboys made an underrated hire away from the best pass rush in football, the Denver Broncos. That key hire, which has flown under the radar, is pass rush specialist BT Jordan.
Jordan was instrumental for Broncos pass rushers -- defensive linemen and edge rushers alike -- in terms of developing their skills over the last couple of seasons, as that unit set franchise records in consecutive years in sacks.
Even though it's OTAs and the pads aren't even on yet, Cowboys players are already noticing the effects of having Jordan on the coaching staff. With the way folks are singing Jordan's praises, this could turn out to be one of the most genius decisions Schottenheimer made all offseason.
Dallas Cowboys hiring BT Jordan is already paying dividends at OTAs
One of the players the Cowboys are counting on to be an every-down impact player this season is defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, a player they acquired during the 2025 season in a huge trade with the New York Jets. Williams had this to say about Jordan's impact already this offseason for the Cowboys as a pass rush consultant:
“I think I can be better at pass rushing. I think I can change up some of my game, change up some of my footwork. Having BT Jordan here is a blessing for sure. He’s one of the best in the business at perfecting pass rush. I know I definitely need that. Just to be better at pushing the pocket, pass rush and getting the quarterback on the ground is the thing I think I can take a better step at this year.”
- Quinnen Williams (via The Athletic)
What Jordan has been part of over the past couple of seasons with the Denver Broncos is truly remarkable. The Broncos had 68 sacks this past season, and were on pace to challenge for the NFL's all-time record in sacks deep into the season.
Those sacks have come from all angles, and a deep roster of players. We saw Jordan's hand in development of veteran players like Zach Allen -- who developed into an All-Pro with the Broncos -- as well as young guys like Nik Bonitto who went from not seeing the field at all as a rookie to earning All-Pro recognition himself.
One player the Cowboys could have on that same "Nik Bonitto" trajectory in year two is Donovan Ezeiruaku, a second-round pick in 2025 who had 12 quarterback hits and a pair of sacks in 17 games. He's got a chance to really take that next step in 2026 for the Cowboys and become a force off the edge, and the team will be hoping Jordan can help unlock that.
Here's what Ezeiruaku had to say about the addition of Jordan to the coaching staff:
“He’s done it in the past, helping defensive line rooms get over that hump. He did it the last two years in Denver. … He breaks pass rush down to a science. It’s kind of like he’s got the secret formula.”
- Donovan Ezeiruaku (via The Athletic)
If Jordan has the secret formula, the timing of his arrival in Dallas is absolutely perfect. This is a defensive front that has been more than just revamped over the last year. The Cowboys have such an intriguing variety of veterans and young players for Jordan to mold and work with, and based on what he did in Denver, there's every reason to believe that established players like Rashan Gary and Quinnen Williams can be even better than we've seen in the past.
It also puts wind in the sails of young players like Ezeiruaku and first-round pick Malachi Lawrence. Having a pass rush specialist with that secret formula to unlock the best in these guys will make Christian Parker's job a lot easier.
If the idea was that the Cowboys would need to "pick up the pieces" from the Micah Parsons trade, perhaps the arrival of BT Jordan can change the narrative.
Maybe it won't be simply making the best of a bad situation, but the clean slate will give this new wave of pass rushers in Dallas the chance to make that trade a complete afterthought, building something completely new.
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