Deion Sanders may have added new faces and introduced financial penalties to keep players in check for 2026, but micromanagement might be the last thing on his mind now. This is because a challenge has posed itself. Rob Livingstone, who coached Colorado’s secondary for the past two seasons, is reportedly headed to the NFL to join the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys’ interest in Rob Livingstone is very real. Dallas has started holding in-person interviews with college coaches, and Livingstone has his interview today. With newly hired defensive coordinator Christian Parker reshaping the staff, the Cowboys are looking to overhaul the defensive side of the ball.

The thing is, the Cowboys aggressively want to build their defensive staff. The Cowboys’ defense in 2025 was historically bad. The scheme under Matt Eberflus was not good. But the real blow came when the team sent away All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons just a week before the season. That move left a massive gap up front, and the pass rush was never better. Injuries only made things worse, with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland both missing action.

Free-agent bets didn’t help either. Guys like Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray didn’t last long. The defense forced just 11 turnovers all year. By the end, the results spoke for themselves. Eberflus was fired after one season, and Dallas finished 7-9-1. Now flip it back to Colorado. If Rob Livingstone does leave Boulder, it’s not exactly a devastating loss.

The Buffs’ defense last season was rough, especially against the run. Colorado gave up 425.7 yards per game, sitting at last in the Big 12. They allowed 222.5 rushing yards per game. It was the second worst in the country. The pass defense gave some relief, allowing 203.2 yards per game, and there were some bright spots. The defensive line sometimes looked good behind transfers Jehiem Oatis and Samuel Okunlola.

But inconsistency and a high stop rate made things worse. Safety Tawfiq Byard stood out. He earned team defensive MVP honors after stacking 83 tackles and two forced fumbles despite battling health scares. Still, one standout wasn’t enough to mask the bigger issues. So if Livingstone moves on, it won’t shake things up much in Boulder. And it’s worth noting, the Cowboys aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket.

Cowboys get a defensive makeover

Rob Livingstone isn’t the only name on Dallas’ radar. The Cowboys have also looked at Arizona cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith and Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr. Still, all signs point to Smith as the favorite. According to a Thursday report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, the Cowboys are expected to bring in Smith as their next cornerbacks coach.

He’d arrive from Arizona, where he spent the past three seasons coaching corners. It’s his first NFL stop. Smith got the green light to explore other opportunities after the Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon in early January. During his time in Arizona, Smith worked closely with a talented group that included Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, Max Melton, and Garrett Williams.

Before jumping to the NFL, he built a strong college résumé. He spent nine years on the recruiting trail and in position rooms. That path started at UTSA in 2014 and included a Rose Bowl run at Penn State, a stop at James Madison under current Indiana head coach and national champion Curt Cignetti, mentoring future first-rounder Caleb Farley at Virginia Tech, and a final college stint at Northwestern in 2022.

If the hire becomes official, Smith will walk into a Cowboys cornerbacks room. Trevon Diggs is gone, leaving DaRon Bland, coming off two injury-plagued years, as CB1. Shavon Revel Jr. will look to leap in Year 2 now that he’s healthy, while Caelen Carson enters a pivotal third season hoping to make that long-awaited jump.