Sean McDermott's sudden availability throws Dallas' defensive coordinator search into high-stakes uncertainty. Do they move fast or gamble on a proven chess master?
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t ask for more chaos. They just got it anyway.
The sudden firing of Sean McDermott by the Buffalo Bills has sent shockwaves through the NFL coaching carousel, and according to The Dallas Cowboys Daily Blitz Podcast, that shockwave may crash straight into Dallas’ defensive coordinator search.
“This isn’t just another coach getting fired,” said Timm Hamm. “This is the kind of move that changes timelines, leverage, and patience across the league.”
Dallas is already deep into a defensive coordinator search, one that Hamm called “the most legitimate coaching process this franchise has ever done.” Multiple in-person interviews are underway, finalists are emerging, and the Cowboys technically could make a hire at any moment. But McDermott’s availability complicates everything.
The question isn’t whether McDermott can coach defense. His body of work answers that. The real question is whether a former head coach with playoff credibility would even entertain returning to a true coordinator role.
“That’s the gamble,” Hamm said. “Does Sean McDermott want to be a defensive coordinator again for the first time in a decade, or does he want to sit out, reset, and jump back into a head job next cycle?”
That uncertainty mirrors the broader tension Dallas is facing. Make a move now and secure one of the top current candidates, or wait and risk losing them while hoping a bigger domino falls.
Hamm made it clear he’s not in panic mode.
“I’m not in a rush just to say we hired someone,” he said. “The whole point of doing a real coaching search is to finish it. If you’ve committed to process, don’t bail on it halfway.”
That patience could matter more than ever.
With nearly half the league potentially shopping for defensive coordinators once head coaching hires settle, competition is only going to increase. And some candidates may slow-play Dallas while monitoring openings tied to bigger names like McDermott.
There’s also history working against impulsive decisions.
Cowboys fans still remember how poorly the last failed-head-coach-to-DC experiment went. That scar tissue hasn’t healed.
“People are skittish for a reason,” Hamm noted. “But context matters. Not all situations are the same.”
The Cowboys now sit at a crossroads.
Move quickly and control the board, or wait, gamble, and possibly land a proven chess master to run the defense. Either way, the clock is ticking, not loudly, but deliberately.
One thing is certain: the Cowboys are no longer operating in a vacuum. And thanks to one stunning firing in Buffalo, Dallas’ next defensive coordinator decision just got a lot more complicated.