The Cowboys have made another slam-dunk hire!
With that said, Schottenheimer won his introductory press conference and Dallas is quietly assembling a rock-solid staff around the first-time head coach.
Matt Eberflus is an elite defensive mind and a fantastic pick to succeed Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator. The Cowboys then hired Nick Sorensen as their special teams coordinator. While that didn't receive as much praise as Eberflus, 49ers hoped to keep Sorensen on Kyle Shanahan's staff. That says a lot about his coaching ability.
Things are coming together fast in North Texas. The team has reportedly interviewed Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams and Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger for the offensive coordinator position.
It sounds like Dallas will name a new OC in short order, but they have made another hire in the meantime that Micah Parsons will absolutely love.
Cowboys reportedly hire Aaron Whitecotton as their defensive line coach
Editor's note: The Cowboys have announced Whitecotton as their new DL coach since this article was published.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Cowboys have hired Jets defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton for the same position.
Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed hours earlier that Dallas was interested in adding Whitecotton to Schottenheimer's staff. It is worth noting, too that Rosenblatt understands the Jets hoped to keep Whitecotton, so he was clearly held in high regard by the organization.
By all accounts, Whitecotton did a superb job with the Jets' defensive line. While Quinnen Williams was an established stud by the time Whitecotton joined the staff, he is largely credited with the second-year jumps from former first-round picks Jermaine Johnson (2022) and Will McDonald (2023).
Johnson tallied 7.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 56 pressures and 31 defensive stops as a sophomore in 2023 while McDonald erupted this past season to the tune of 10.5 sacks, 24 QB hits, two forced fumbles and 61 pressures, per Pro Football Focus.
In addition to Johnson and McDonald, Bryce Huff developed into an impact pass rusher under Whitecotton before the Jets regrettably traded him to Philadelphia. The same can be said for John Franklin-Myers, whom New York traded to the Broncos.
All in all, Whitecotton is a superb hire by the Cowboys. He has a proven track record of developing both interior and exterior defenders. The move should give Dallas further incentive to re-sign three-tech Osa Odighizuwa, who had a career year in 2024 rushing the quarterback.
Here's hoping that Whitecotton can take Micah Parsons to another level, if that's even possible, and help former high draft picks Marshawn Kneel and Mazi Smith tap into their potential.
