Since Matt Eberflus was told to pack his bags, owner Jerry Jones has been on a hunt for the right defensive coordinator. Various names have popped up in rumors and reports. One of them stands out: Aaron Whitecotton. And a DT who played under him vouches that he could be the one for Dallas.

“I played for coach [Aaron] Whitecotton for five years of my career, basically more than half of my career,” Cwoboys DT Solomon Thomas told the media while discussing the end of the season. “And he’s been amazing to me. Every D-line I’ve been on, we’ve been great under him. He commands intensity, greatness, and has a high standard for us that he doesn’t bend on ever, whether it’s week one or week 17 and you’re not going to the playoffs.”

“I definitely believe he’s a man for the job, a man who can do it, and a man who would dominate it in his first year,” Thomas added.

Thomas has played under Whitecotton for almost five years. A partnership that started in San Francisco with the 49ers in 2020. He then moved to the Raiders, while Whitecotton headed to the Jets. But fate brought them back together in 2022 when Thomas signed with the Jets, setting the stage for their next reunion in Texas with the Cowboys this season.

When Thomas signed with the Cowboys in March, he had expressed a similar faith in Whitecotton. His words back then showed real excitement about linking up again.

“When I saw Coach Whitecotton signed with Dallas, I was super excited because I was like, ‘Dang, this may be a chance for me to play at home, to play under Whitecotton another year, and to make everything aligned,’” Thomas said in March. “He’s a guy who lets his players play the way they need to play to play their best football.”

Whitecotton got a shot on the sidelines after Eberflus was sent to the box for a better view. But we all saw how that experiment went for the Cowboys. At present, according to the team, he interviewed for the DC position on Monday. While the Cowboys contnue to their search for a defensive play caller, time is of the essence. This season marks the fourth year in a row that Jones has been searching for a new defensive coordinator, which is a task easier said than done.

Jerry Jones hunts a new DC to fix Matt Eberflus’ defensive mess

Jerry Jones recently said he wants to retire “as the owner who won the most Super Bowls.” Right now, he has to win three more just to catch up with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Jones seems determined to make it happen, hyping up hopes for the long-suffering Cowboys fandom even as the team rebuilds.

Several intriguing names are in the mix. Daronté Jones of the Vikings, Ephraim Banda of the Browns, and Jim Leonhard of the Broncos.

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However, three more intriguing candidates have emerged in the mix: Cowboys defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton; Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr; and former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon. Whitecotton has already interviewed on Monday, putting him ahead in the process. Orr and Gannon were expected to sit down on Tuesday.

Dallas hasn’t had a reliable and consistent defensive coordinator since Dan Quinn left after the 2023 season. The number of times the Cowboys have cycled through new DCs is troubling. It makes you wonder what’s gone so wrong defensively, year after year.

Well, the main issue lies in the coaching style of these coaches, which doesn’t sit well with the players on the roster. The Cowboys roster is aggressive and thrives under heavy blitzes and pressures. That approach worked wonders under Quinn because his coaching style matched it perfectly. However, Eberflus was less aggressive and believed far less in pressuring the quarterback.

That mismatch led to key players like Dante Fowler Jr. and Osa Odighizuwa not utilizing their usual sparks. Fowler had just 15 tackles this season (down from 39 in 2024), along with 10 QB hits and only three sacks (10.5 in 2024). Odighizuwa didn’t see much difference in sacks or QB hits, but his solo tackles dropped from 25 to just 16.

Of course, now that the revamp starts, Jones is preparing to choose the best one possible. But one thing’s for sure: Eberflus was signed partly due to Brian Schottenheimer, so that’s one connection Jones would avoid for next season.