The revolving door for the Dallas Cowboys‘ defensive coordinator position just spun again, but the real key to the team’s future might lie in the hands of their head coach. Four years, four defensive coordinators. The coaching instability in Dallas is palpable, but Brian Schottenheimer’s recent admission about working with Jerry Jones suggests the team’s core power dynamic is anything but unstable.

“You know, I love it. I would say it’s great,” Schottenheimer said on Saturday when asked how he finds working with Jerry and Stephen Jones. “I really do. I spoke about this, I think, in my opening press conference, and nothing’s changed in the year I’ve been doing this,” he added.

Schottenheimer also explained why the relationship works so well: “They’re so easy to talk to. Communication is a strength of mine. If you’re the owners of a football team, you want to be informed of what’s going on, and deservedly so.”

“But again, to me, you’re talking to a guy that grew up in a household of football, and they grew up certainly with being in a house of football. And so, we just have so many things in common, and we have great conversations.” The HC continued, “And we don’t agree on everything, and uh but we hash it out. We usually come to a unanimous decision.”

He also shared the deeper connection they have. Both Jerry and Stephen Jones grew up around football, just like him, so conversations come naturally. They do not agree on everything, but they discuss issues openly until reaching a decision together.

And the respect is mutual. Back in 2025, before the regular season commenced, Jones was all praise for his HC. Before Schotty was brought in as the Cowboys’ 10th HC, he didn’t spend much time as a head coach and had no interviews with any other teams. Yet, Jerry believed in him.

“He’s a gem, he’s a nugget that we rarely see that kind of experience, that kind of input when he was young,” Jones said. “And then turn around and be at the level he is, the age he is, and now then he gets to try it, and he’s the coach, and this is the first time for it. I like those bets. I think there’s an extra amount of oomph that you get when it’s the first time.”

Later in December, the Cowboys’ owner backed his sentiments when asked about Brian’s first year as an HC.

“He’s had an outstanding year,” Jones said. “He’s technically as sound as you can draw up. We really like his philosophy of how to play football. We’ve had some adversity this year, and he’s met it head-on. Bottom line is, I’m very pleased with his first year as coach.”

“He’s the busiest guy in town,” he added. “Not only is he calling the plays, but at the same time, he’s had the kind of challenges that you can’t draw up. … Boy, he’s made progress, and we’ve got a great future ahead.”

With Jerry’s belief in Brian, the front office and the team look forward to a 2026 season where America’s team makes a comeback, as they have already started making big decisions for the offseason ahead.

Jerry Jones delivers a head-scratching answer on Brian Schottenheimer’s hiring

The Cowboys’ defense struggled all season, giving up the most passing yards and ranking near the bottom in almost every key stat. With 31st in touchdowns allowed, interceptions, and defensive rating, questions quickly arose about the team’s next defensive coordinator after Matt Eberflus was fired.

The team continues its search for a fourth DC, with the front office interviewing up to nine candidates for the role. On Thursday, Cowboys’ COO Stephen Jones also shared an update with the Cowboys nation.

“I think we’re in the initial run,” Jones said. “We’re going to cast a wide net, whether it’s half a dozen, ten, 12 coaches when it’s all said and done. I don’t know what that number will be, but then we’ll narrow it down. We’re already starting to narrow it down, and we’ll start to bring guys in for in-person interviews, some of the guys that we felt were the guys that would fit.”

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“We know we have to improve not only from a coaching staff standpoint, but we also need to improve from a personnel standpoint. So all that goes into the mix and the equation, and I think we’re making good progress.”

Stephen mentioned that they are making good progress in their search for a new DC and have come across some candidates who fit the spot very well. As of now, the Cowboys want to hire the right candidate and don’t want to put themselves under any pressure by deciding on a hiring deadline.