The Dallas Cowboys are bringing in Derrick Ansley to join their coaching staff, and while the move might raise a few eyebrows on the surface, it fits neatly within the broader schematic direction the team is heading. Ansley, who served as the pass game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers last season, is expected to work under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker - and both coaches share a deep familiarity with the quarters-based coverage system.
That system, which emphasizes zone principles and pattern-matching in the secondary, has been a throughline in Ansley’s career. He’s implemented it at major college programs like Alabama and Tennessee, and most recently with the Los Angeles Chargers before his stint in Green Bay. Bringing him to Dallas helps reinforce the Cowboys’ commitment to that defensive identity, especially under Parker, who arrives from the Philadelphia Eagles - another team that leans heavily on quarters concepts.
The Cowboys reportedly chose Parker over Jonathan Gannon, who also interviewed for the defensive coordinator role. According to reports, Parker’s strong communication skills with players helped tip the scales in his favor. That’s not a small thing in today’s NFL, where connecting with players and teaching complex schemes is just as important as the X’s and O’s.
Meanwhile, over in Green Bay, Gannon - who ultimately did land a defensive coordinator job, just not in Dallas - is now tasked with reshaping a Packers defense that’s undergoing some significant turnover. Even though Gannon runs a similar quarters-based system, the Packers opted not to retain Ansley. That decision is part of a larger trend: Green Bay is quietly clearing the deck on the defensive side of the ball.
After former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur cast a relatively narrow net in his search for a replacement. He reportedly interviewed four external candidates before settling on Gannon, but also gave each of his four defensive assistants a shot at the job. With Ansley now headed to Dallas, and two other assistants - linebackers coach Sean Duggan and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard - joining Hafley in Miami, three of the four internal candidates are now gone.
That kind of exodus doesn’t typically happen unless there’s a bigger plan in motion. And while there’s been no indication that these coaches were fired, and no public information about expiring contracts, the most likely scenario is that the Packers are allowing lateral moves to facilitate a clean slate for Gannon.
That’s significant, because in the NFL, assistant coaching contracts are usually guaranteed. Letting coaches walk without a fight could be a strategic move to avoid buyouts and give Gannon the freedom to build his own staff from scratch.
Right now, the lone holdover from the 2025 defensive staff who hasn’t landed elsewhere is DeMarcus Covington, the defensive line coach and run game coordinator. Whether he stays on under Gannon remains to be seen, but if he does leave, it would mark a rare occurrence in Green Bay - a new defensive coordinator getting to build an entirely new staff.
That hasn’t happened in decades. Previous coordinators like Hafley, Joe Barry, Mike Pettine, and Dom Capers all inherited at least some of their predecessor’s assistants.
So far, Gannon has brought in two familiar faces. Sam Siefkes, who coached linebackers under Gannon from 2023 to 2024 and shares the same Mike Zimmer defensive lineage, will handle the linebacker group in Green Bay. Bobby Babich, a member of the QB Collective and someone LaFleur interviewed for the defensive coordinator job back in 2024, will coach the secondary.
Gannon’s past staffing patterns offer some clues about what might come next. In Philadelphia, his 4-3 defense ran lean, with just three on-field coaches - one for each level of the defense. But in Arizona, where he was the head coach and ran a 3-4 system, he expanded to five defensive assistants, splitting duties along the line of scrimmage and in the secondary.
Depending on what happens with Covington, the Packers could be done hiring, or they might still be looking to fill as many as three more spots: a defensive line coach (if Covington departs), another line-of-scrimmage specialist, and an additional defensive backs coach.
The bottom line? Green Bay is resetting its defensive identity under Gannon, and the moves - or lack thereof - from the front office suggest they’re fully committed to giving him the reins. Meanwhile, Dallas is quietly building a staff that fits its evolving defensive philosophy, and Ansley’s addition is another step in that direction.