Jerry Jones Admits to Being Less Involved in Cowboys DC Search

Dallas Cowboys fans held their breath after the team announced they moved on from defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

While they were relieved to see a change was coming, there was still apprehension thanks to the presence of Jerry Jones. In years past, Jones has led the search for assistant coaches, and with defensive coordinators, he's favored former head coaches who were looking to rebuild their image.

While that worked with Dan Quinn, it was an unmitigated disaster with Eberflus in 2025 and Mike Nolan in 2020. Mike Zimmer in 2024 was a mixed bag, landing somewhere in the middle.

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This year, however, things were different. The Cowboys met primarily with younger coaches who had yet to ascend to the defensive coordinator position. That led to the hiring of Christian Parker, who was the defensive passing game coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.

His selection has led to optimism, and fans might have a reason for even more excitement following the latest admission from Jones. While speaking about the defensive coordinator search, Jones essentially said he was less involved by admitting he allowed things to happen differently this year.

"I did less of what I’ve been doing and more of what I haven’t been doing in this process.” - Jerry Jones on the Dallas Cowboys' search for a new defensive coordinator.

Is Jerry Jones finally changing his ways?

Jerry Jones on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

What's even more encouraging is that Jones seems to finally be worried about winning. Instead of reminding the world how great he was in the 1990s, he said only tomorrow counts.

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"All that counts is tomorrow, and all you can look at is yesterday and back," Jones said.

One quote from our sit down with Jerry Jones last night that really stuck out:

"All that counts is tomorrow, and all you can look at is yesterday and back."

As for his DC hire, "I did less of what I’ve been doing and more of what I haven’t been doing in this process.” https://t.co/351gtVkWbd
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) February 6, 2026

The real test to reveal a new approach for Jones will come this offseason. Dallas has a huge decision to make with pending free agent George Pickens.

Jones has expressed a desire to extend Pickens, but in the past, he's allowed negotiations to drag out and become a distraction. Getting a deal done with Pickens early would be best for both parties and would truly prove Jones is changing.

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