Cowboys coach leaves for promotion and will face Dallas in 2026 NFL season
The Dallas Cowboys are losing a valuable coach to an AFC foe as he heads for a defensive coordinator position.
It’s official. As expected, the Dallas Cowboys defensive staff is undergoing changes, and that includes on the defensive line.
According to the latest reports, the Cowboys aren’t going to keep Aaron Whitecotton around as defensive line coach in 2026. And the exodus of defensive coaches is only beginning as new defensive coordinator Christian Parker aims to build his staff.
Whitecotton leaves for AFC foe
Aaron Whitecotton, who signed with the Cowboys as a big-name defensive line coach in 2025, is moving up in the coaching world. He is signing with the Tennessee Titans as defensive coordinator, where he’ll coach under recently-hired head coach Robert Saleh. The news was reported initially by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Whitecotton also interviewed for the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator opening before the team settled on Parker. Now, he heads to the AFC to reunite with an old friend.
Whitecotton and Saleh have been on the same staff in three different teams; the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Now, Whitecotton gets a crack at a coordinator gig.
Cowboys interviewing replacement
As for the Cowboys DL coach position, the team is known to be interviewing former Cowboys player Marcus Dixon for the job. Dixon most recently coached defensive line for the Minnesota Vikings from 2024-2025, but his deal expired earlier in the month.
We’ll see if Parker needs an additional option, however, as former Vikings pass game coordinator Daronte Jones recently landed a defensive coordinator position with the Washington Commanders, opening another potential landing spot for Dixon.
Cowboys to face Whitecotton-led defense in 2026
Funnily enough, the Cowboys are bound to face Whitecotton and the Titans in 2026, as they get the AFC South as their rotating intra-conference division on their 2026 schedule.
Whitecotton is currently serving as defensive coordinator of the East team at the East-West Shrine Bowl set to be played on Thursday Jan. 27.