Cowboys to begin in-person interviews for DC role

With nine candidates having already interviewed virtually, the Cowboys are moving forward with the second phase of their search for a new defensive coordinator.

In-person interviews are set to begin, with the club bringing in Daronte Jones and Jonathan Gannon for in-person meetings at The Star in Frisco, according to multiple reports. Jones will be in the building on Saturday; Gannon is set for a visit in the early part of next week.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler is reporting that Eagles pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker will get a second interview as well, though the scheduling details were not yet known at the time of this writing.

There will almost certainly be more in-person interviews to come; Jones's and Gannon's are simply the first to be scheduled. The Cowboys, it should be noted, have successfully met the requirements for the Rooney Rule and may make an official hire as soon as they wish.

Former Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon is set to visit The Star the early part of next week, per source. https://t.co/6GTolych3R— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 16, 2026

Jones, the Vikings' pass game coordinator, was one of the earliest names to surface last week as the Cowboys look to replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired after a disappointing first year as Dallas DC.

Under Jones, Minnesota's pass defense held Cowboys receivers out of the end zone during their Week 15 win over Dallas and limited quarterback Dak Prescott to a completion percentage of 60.5%, his second-lowest of the season.

Gannon is the only one of the current DC candidates with prior head coaching experience, having notched both his first and his final wins as Arizona's head coach against Dallas.

Gannon's Cardinals most recently beat the Cowboys in Week 9; the defense forced four fumbles, intercepted Prescott once, and sacked him five times.

Of the other prospects interviewed thus far, only Broncos assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard is with a team still alive in the postseason. As such, the Cowboys would not be able to interview him in-person until Denver loses or during the bye week before the Super Bowl.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys to begin in-person interviews for defensive coordinator