Dallas Cowboys coaching staff could have a little bit of Tomlin, Harbaugh, and Cignetti in 2026
The Dallas Cowboys are cooking when it comes to their search for defensive coaches to pair with new DC Christian Parker.
Expect a lot of Dallas Cowboys news over the next few days, as co-owner Stephen Jones hopes the team finalizes its defensive coaching hires by the weekend.
New Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker is hard at work building what will be his first-ever staff as a coordinator, and he and head coach Brian Schottenheimer are turning heads with the names popping up in his search. And the latest updates only add to the excitement, as his staff could have the DNA of two of the best coaches we’ve seen in the NFL in the last 20 years, and the new face of college football when it comes to coaching.
Cowboys defensive DNA could be wild
Based on the Cowboys’ interviews for defensive coaches and at least one hire so far, Parker’s staff could have ties to former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh, and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, who recently led the Hoosiers to a historic 16-0 record and a National Championship win.
Let’s start with the latter: The Cowboys are hiring Ryan Smith as cornerbacks coach, according to multiple reports. Smith worked under Cignetti for three seasons at the collegiate level, coaching the secondary at Elon University and later safeties at James Madison before jumping to Virginia Tech, where he quickly rose to pass game coordinator. At the NFL level, Smith worked under Jonathan Gannon the last three years.
Additionally, the Cowboys are interviewing Denzel Martin, outside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Martin spent ten years on Mike Tomlin’s staff and helped develop the likes of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, all standout pass rushers.
As for the Harbaugh gene, the Cowboys are also interviewing Zach Orr for a linebackers coach position. Orr spent four years coaching for the Baltimore Ravens under Harbaugh, starting with inside linebackers and later rising to defensive coordinator. He helped develop one of the best LB duos in the league in Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen as a position coach. Orr also played in Baltimore for three years. Earlier in the month, the Cowboys interviewed Orr for their DC opening.
We’ll see if the Cowboys do land Martin and Orr but for now, it’s clear Parker isn’t messing around with the coaches he’s looking into for his staff.
And on top of it all, one of the biggest reasons to be excited about Parker’s arrival as DC is that he has some of that Vic Fangio DNA after working with him for multiple years. Fangio is known as one of the defensive masterminds of the NFL, and Parker thrived on his staff as pass game coordinator in Philadelphia, developing two first-team All-Pro cornerbacks in his two years with the Eagles.