To say that the Dallas Cowboys are under pressure to nail their defensive coordinator hire would be the understatement of all understatements. Even with a below-average defense, Dallas might still be alive in the NFC playoffs because its offense was simply that prolific this year.
The Cowboys have requested interviews with six candidates. That list is expected to grow once teams start making head coaching hires.
In the meantime, it seems that Broncos defensive passing game coordinator and assistant head coach Jim Leonhard has the most fans inside The Star. Cowboys insider Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan believes that the team is biding time until Leonhard is truly available.
"I think they're waiting for Jim Leonhard is what they're doing. They're waiting for Jim Leonhard to be available to be hired because he's in Denver right now. They're still in the playoffs. He can't be hired away yet," Belt said.
"And so I think that they're going to use this time to just, all right, let's cast that wide net, and let's just start interviewing people that we've heard good things about. . . . I think that's partially what interviewing Zach Orr is about. Spending the time to just cover bases, interview Aaron Whitecotton, is that they're trying to flesh things out a little bit until they can get a look at Jim Leonhard in person."
It sounds like the Cowboys really want Jim Leonhard to be their defensive coordinator
The Cowboys interviewed Leonhard in a virtual capacity last Saturday.
Belt’s intel suggests the Cowboys want to bring him in for a second, in-person interview. That can’t happen until the Broncos’ season ends. As the AFC’s No. 1 seed, Denver earned a first-round bye and will host Josh Allen and the Bills this weekend, giving Cowboys fans a very clear rooting interest.
It speaks volumes that Leonhard was among Dallas' first batch of interviews. You don't have to understand the X's and O's to come to grips with why Leonhard would be an elite hire.
Just one year into his stint as Wisconsin's defensive coordinator, Leonhard was named a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the nation's premier assistant coach.
READ MORE: Cowboys better hope latest John Harbaugh coaching rumors aren't true
Leonhard's rise in the NFL coaching ranks has happened just as fast. It only took him one year as a position coach in the league (he was Denver's defensive backs coach in 2024) to get promoted to assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator. That that promotion came from a future Hall of Fame head coach in Sean Payton speaks volumes.
It is only a matter of time until Leonhard becomes a head coach, but that shouldn't dissuade the Cowboys from making him their defensive coordinator. They have a small window with Dak Prescott's current contract to break through and make a Super Bowl. And if Leonhard eventually leaves for a HC job, Dallas can promote one of his lieutenants who doesn't leave with him.
That's a tomorrow problem, though.
The bottom line is Cowboys fans should be rooting like hell for Denver to lose on Saturday. The Leonhard buzz is undeniable at this point, and a Broncos loss will allow Jerry Jones and Brian Schottenheimer to roll out the red carpet.