Cowboys request permission to interview three assistants for vacant defensive coordinator role

The Dallas Cowboys have requested permission to speak with Vikings defensive pass game coordinator/DBs coach Daronte Jones, Broncos assistant head coach/defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard, and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, sources confirmed to DLLS.

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Todd Archer.

The requests are the early, formal steps in the process (teams must grant permission for coaches under contract), and it signals Dallas is already casting a wide net across three different organizations, with all three candidates coming from three of the top defenses during the 2025 regular season.

“A teacher, someone that’s a great teacher, a great communicator,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said during the end of season presser, on what he wants from his next coordinator. “I’m full of energy, and love what I do. I think someone that is passionate about football.”

Jones has been in Minnesota since 2022, as the defensive backs coach, and in 2023, became the defensive pass game coordinator, giving him direct involvement in weekly coverage plans and matchup-specific adjustments.

He served as defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers in 2021.

Leonhard is the name that will instantly jump off the page for a lot of fans.

Denver’s assistant head coach/defensive pass game coordinator has been respected as a teacher and organizer, and has a coordinator background as the former Wisconsin defensive coordinator.

“I saw Jim before we played Denver. Jim’s a heck of a football coach. You talk about a great football player, man. We had some great years together in New York. Again, I would not say we’ve stayed in touch,” Schottenheimer said. “Jim’s an excellent coach.”

Banda, Cleveland’s safeties coach, brings recent coordinator experience from the college level, from Utah State and Miami, and has spent the last three seasons working inside an NFL secondary room, a notable detail for a Cowboys defense that struggled in the defensive backfield all season.

Dallas is expected to continue sending out requests as the process ramps up.

Earlier on Thursday, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that the Atlanta Falcons denied the Cowboys’ request to speak with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.