The Cowboys knew they were taking a swing when they handed the defense to Christian Parker. Through five weeks, that swing has landed flat. Dallas sits last in defensive EPA per play and EPA success rate, and only the Detroit Lions are giving up more yards each week.
That makes the old search feel a lot worse in hindsight. Dallas wanted a fresh voice after Matt Eberflus, and it spent time with a long list of candidates before choosing Parker. Among the names the Cowboys spoke with were Daronte Jones, who had two interviews and landed in Washington; Jonathan Gannon, who also had two interviews; Jim Leonhard, who landed in Buffalo; Ephraim Banda; Demarcus Covington; Aaron Whitecotton; Zach Orr; and Charlie Bullen.
Most of those candidates had never called plays before. The one major exception was Gannon, the former Cardinals head coach and Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator in Philadelphia, who ended up in Green Bay.
The one name that really stands out now is Jeff Ulbrich.
Dallas asked Atlanta for permission to interview the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, but the request was denied. There’s no way to know whether Jerry Jones would have hired him, but after what Atlanta’s defense has done, that blocked interview looks even more frustrating for the Cowboys.
Ulbrich’s track record is exactly the kind of resume Dallas did not wind up with. Before returning to Atlanta, he spent four seasons as defensive coordinator under Robert Saleh in Atlanta and also served briefly as interim head coach after Saleh was fired. During that stretch, he helped produce top-five defenses in 2022, 2023, and 2024, even while going 3-9 as interim coach.
His first season back with the Falcons only strengthened the case. Atlanta went from second-to-last in the NFL in sacks the year before to second, finishing with a franchise-record 59 sacks last season. A big part of that jump came from rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., who helped revive a pass rush that had looked dead.
Then the injury and suspension hits piled up. Walker went down with a season-ending ACL tear, and Pearce was hit with an eight-game suspension after a February arrest. With those losses, almost everyone expected the Falcons’ rush to slip.
Instead, Atlanta has been even better. The Falcons lead the NFL in pressures and pressure rate, with Cameron Thomas, Samson Ebukam, Za’Darius Smith, and Gervon Dexter Sr. helping keep the heat on while the defense mostly rushes four.
That kind of work makes the Cowboys’ missed opportunity sting. If Ulbrich can get that much out of a patchwork group of edge defenders, it’s hard not to wonder what he could have done with Rashan Gary, Malachi Lawrence, Von Miller, and Donovan Ezeiruaku coming off the edge, with Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark inside.
Ulbrich has the look of one of the league’s sharper defensive minds, and he may be building toward head coaching buzz too. For Dallas, the denial from Atlanta feels bigger now than it did then, especially with Parker’s unit struggling the way it has.
In Other News...
Former Cowboys Fan Favorite Could Help Philly At Worst Possible Time
The Eagles backfield has been hit hard enough that outside help is starting to make sense, and CBS Sports Jordan Dajani recently floated a familiar name as a potential fix before the November 10 trade deadline. With Saquon Barkley sidelined and depth thinned by injuries to Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia could be forced to shop for another runner just to stabilize the rotation.
One option under discussion is a former Cowboys fan favorite who knows the division well and has long shown he can handle meaningful carries. For Philadelphia, the appeal is obvious: a proven back who could absorb snaps now and still fit as insurance if Barkley returns to the lineup, leaving the Eagles with a late-season decision that could ripple far beyond the trade market. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys May Need Real Lineup Changes To Stop This Early Slide
The Cowboys uneven start has left little room for patience, with a 2-3 record already putting extra weight on the next stretch of the schedule. Green Bay and Philadelphia are up next, and with both games carrying obvious playoff implications this early, Dallas may have to do more than tinker around the edges if it wants to keep the season from slipping further.
Ameer Speed has given the staff a reason to look harder at the cornerback rotation after making the most of his limited snaps, and the offensive line has its own pressure point on the right side. Terence Steele has struggled in both pass protection and the run game, which is why Broderick Jones is now part of the conversation as a possible replacement if Dallas decides the slide requires a more aggressive lineup shakeup. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Face A Trade Deadline Question On A Proven Pass Rusher
The trade deadline can bring out plenty of speculation, but the Cowboys have been tied to a more concrete pass-rush possibility in Arizona edge rusher Josh Sweat. NFL insider Jason La Canfora reports Dallas is considered well positioned to make a deal, which fits a front office that knows the value of adding help off the edge when the market starts to thin.
Sweat still has two years left on his contract, so this would not be a simple rental type of move for Dallas. The bigger question is how much the Cowboys would be willing to part with in draft capital to get a proven pass rusher before the deadline, especially with the kind of price that has been floated around league circles. [Read more 🡒]