Cowboys Lose Key Defensive Assistant Coach to AFC Team

The Dallas Cowboys found out on Monday that they would be losing one of their top assistant coaches to the Tennessee Titans.

Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton during the game between the Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When the Dallas Cowboys hired Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator, it was clear they were ready for changes on that side of the ball.

Parker, who has been an understudy to Vic Fangio for years, will bring in a new philosophy and is expected to bring in new coaches as well. With that being the case, Dallas allowed their assistants to interview with different teams.

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That didn't mean they wanted every coach to leave, with Aaron Whitecotton standing out as an assistant who could stick around as the defensive line coach. That's not going to happen, though, as Whitecotton just accepted the same position with the Tennessee Titans.

Aaron Whitecotton was the one possibility I thought could return on Christian Parker’s staff, but he will head to Tennessee to reunite with Robert Saleh. https://t.co/wtJyT1LOtj

— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) January 27, 2026

Whitecotton will rejoin Robert Saleh, who was recently named head coach of the Titans. The two worked together when Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and Whitecotton was the assistant defensive line coach in 2020.

When Saleh took his first head coaching position with the New York Jets, Whitecotton joined his staff as the defensive line coach. Saleh was fired by the Jets after a poor start in 2024 and returned to the 49ers. Whitecotton wound up in Dallas, where he coached the defensive line for one year.

He interviewed for the defensive coordinator position in Dallas, but lost out to Parker.

Cowboys could turn to a familiar face to replace Whitecotton

Minnesota Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC Wild Card game. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Before it was announced that Whitecotton was leaving, the Cowboys already requested permission to speak with Marcus Dixon, the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings.

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Dixon originally signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Hampton in 2008 but never played in a regular season game for them. He did play three seasons with the New York Jets before turning to coaching.

His first season as a coach in the NFL was 2021 with the Los Angeles Rams, where he won a Super Bowl ring.

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