The Cowboys have begun the process of finding their next defensive coordinator.
Remember when it was going to take the Dallas Cowboys 10-12 days to evaluate the staff chances needed from the 2025 season?
Yeah, me neither.
After firing defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after what can only be described as a horror season by any metric you want to use, rumors of who Dallas could target have been flying around.
Several high-profile names jumped to the top of the list, including Brian Flores and Jim Schwartz.
Both are considered candidates that would be top-liners if they were to land in Dallas.
Still, Brian Schottenheimer stated he wanted to cast a wide net on his coordinator search.
And that net has been thrown - oh, and it's been thrown by Schotty, not by team owner Jerry Jones.
The Cowboys have requested permission to speak with Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, Minnesota defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, and the name that has been popping up a lot lately: Jim Leonhard, the Denver Broncos assistant head coach/pass game coordinator.
That is three requests, and we don't expect that to be the end of it.
Dallas requested an interview with Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, but the Falcons denied the request.
In previous seasons, the Cowboys would look at only a handful of candidates, rather than interviewing as many as possible.
Why we aren't sure.
But our own Mike Fisher has stated that having 10-15 coaching candidates come through and offer their thoughts on how your team can improve is invaluable. Even if you don't intend to hire them, pick their brains.
And Fish has more, writing, "This is just the beginning of the interviews. There are more to come. And I'm told that unlike has often been the case before, this isn't Jerry's baby. As one source told me, "Schotty's got two hands on the steering wheel here.''
So, yes, why not get as much outside information on where your team can improve?
And yes, why not let the head coach make the call - with the Joneses, of course, needing to give the choice the rubber stamp
Cowboys Nation didn't want the franchise to sit on its hands in this coaching search and waste days while other top candidates get snapped up.
And thankfully, Dallas is being proactive - with the head coach as the driving force.