FRISCO, Texas — Coach Brian Schottenheimer ran the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator search himself, executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday on DLLS Sports.
Dallas has always let its people do their jobs, Jones said, though the front office holds opinions and has influenced coaching hires before.
“I like Dan Quinn, who came in here and had a lot of success as a former top coordinator and then a former head coach who had success,” Jones said. “But no, I do agree with you. Schotty did really control the narrative on wanting to really interview a whole lot of people for this defensive coordinator spot and really work through what he felt like would be the best fit and compliment to him as a head coach.”
“Schotty’s so authentic. He’s got so much energy. He’s real. The players know it,” Jones continued. “I think we had that with part of our team last year in our offense, which played at a very high level. It just never translated. Weren’t able to get the job done on the defensive side of the ball. And that was tough on us. And I do think we’ve made big steps with Christian Parker. And I think you can feel the same culture, the same DNA that Schotty exudes in that defensive staff. And I think the players feel it. They feel confidence. They feel confidence in what they’re doing. They feel confidence in how they’re being coached.”
Building The Roster Around Christian Parker
Parker had a vision for the players he needed, Jones said, and vice president of player personnel Will McClay, his staff, and Jerry Jones worked through who fit it.
“Will McClay and his staff and Jerry and I did a lot of good listening as to what needed to be done, who needed to be kept and who we needed to move on from in terms of surrounding the defensive side of the ball with the type of skills that Christian Parker needs to execute the scheme that he wants to execute so he doesn’t have to compromise,” Jones explained. “He’s been around a lot of great coaches in his short tenure in the league. He’s obviously young, but we feel like we did that, and we do feel like we upgraded and upgraded in a big way.”
“We just feel like we have that opportunity,” Jones added. “If we do that, coupled with our offense, and we can make the same strides on special teams to improve, we’ve got a great chance to compete for a championship.”
The overhaul started with a trade. Dallas sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in August 2025 for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Asked about Parsons on Tuesday, Jones declined.
“He doesn’t play for us,” Jones said. “So you can ask Green Bay.”
Three months later, Dallas turned one of those picks into Quinnen Williams, who signed a three-year extension worth $105.9 million during training camp. The other became Malachi Lawrence, the second of two first-round picks in 2026, whom Jones tied to a double-digit sack ceiling.
Dallas also added Rashan Gary and signed Von Miller in August. Safety Caleb Downs went 11th overall. Jones has said before that Dallas will bet on former first-round picks from other teams.
Parker runs a 3-4 front in his first season as coordinator. Dallas went 7-9-1 last season and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
‘365 Days A Year’ Through The Trade Deadline
“People make fun of my statement, 365 days a year is player acquisition,” Jones said. “We are always looking to improve our football team. And obviously we feel really good about this team. I think we started off the show talking about it seems like our theme is to win now. I wouldn’t refute that.”
“I gave you all the reasons why, and that’s all the reasons why we won’t be sleeping at any point,” Jones added. “We’re still looking before the season starts. We’ll be looking all the way up until the trade deadline. And so if we ever see something that makes a lot of sense for us to improve this football team, you can bet we’re probably going to be trying to make it happen.”
The roster has moved since Sunday’s cut to 53. Dallas claimed running back Emari Demercado off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, waived quarterback Joe Milton III as the corresponding move, and traded offensive tackle Nate Thomas to the Houston Texans.
Dallas opens the regular season at the New York Giants on Sept. 13. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
