The Dallas Cowboys missed the playoffs for the second straight year, finishing with a 7-9-1 record. While the season ended in disappointment, the Cowboys did boast an impressive offense under rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Defense was a different story. And after firing Matt Eberflus, Dallas is on the hunt for its fourth defensive coordinator since 2023.
While the Cowboys are gearing up for the interview process in the wake of Eberflus’ dismissal, an unexpected candidate cropped up. Jim Leonhard joined the Denver Broncos’ coaching staff in 2024. And Schottenheimer praised the former NFL safety turned defensive assistant.
“I saw Jim before we played Denver,” Schottenheimer said, per The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris. “Jim's a heck of a football coach. You talk about a great football player, man. We had some great years together in New York… You gotta speak to what Sean [Payton] and what that entire staff has done there. Vance Joseph is a guy I have a ton of respect for. Jim's an excellent coach.”
Cowboys’ defense craters under Matt Eberflus
Leonhard followed Rex Ryan from the Baltimore Ravens to the New York Jets when Ryan was named the team’s head coach in 2009. Schottenheimer was already the Jets' offensive coordinator and he spent three seasons with Leonhard in New York.
After hanging up his cleats in 2014, Leonhard began his coaching career with Wisconsin. He was with the Badgers for seven years, serving as defensive coordinator and, eventually, interim head coach. Leonhard became Illinois’ senior football analyst in 2023 and then broke into the NFL under Sean Payton the following season.
Leonhard is in his second year as the Broncos’ defensive pass game coordinator. And he was elevated to assistant head coach in 2025. Now he’s on the Cowboys’ radar.
Dallas’ defense got off to a rocky start this season without Micah Parsons. The team traded the star pass rusher to the Green Bay Packers in August and the defense suffered as a result. The Cowboys landed Quinnen Williams in a trade deadline deal with the Jets. Yet while the addition provided an initial boost, Dallas continued to struggle.
The Cowboys' reached new depths under Eberflus. The team finished as the 32nd-ranked scoring defense, allowing an NFL-worst 30.1 points per game. It's the first time in franchise history Dallas has given up 30+ points per contest in a season.
