Brian Schottenheimer Praises Caelen Carson’s Growth Under Derrick Ansley

FRISCO, Texas — Brian Schottenheimer said Caelen Carson has found a mentor in Derrick Ansley and that the Dallas Cowboys see his skills advancing.

Carson is on the initial 53 as one of 5 cornerbacks.

“We’ve just seen advancement. I mean, we’ve seen him get better. I think he’s really found a mentor in Derrick Ansley. I think they work really well together,” Schottenheimer said. “The talent’s always been there, but I do think he fits really well in some of the things that we’re trying to do schematically. He’s got to clean some things up from a penalty standpoint, but he’s a player that we see a lot of promise in, and we see the arrow going up, and we see advancement in his skills and what he’s done. So I think that’s very positive.”

Derrick Ansley Is In His First Season Coaching The Dallas Cowboys Secondary

Dallas hired Ansley as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach on Jan. 31 as part of the staff built around defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

Ansley came from the Green Bay Packers, where he was passing game coordinator, and previously was defensive coordinator at Tennessee and with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Injuries Have Shaped Caelen Carson’s First Two Seasons

Carson went 174th overall in the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest. He has 44 tackles and 6 pass deflections in his career.

Dallas placed him on injured reserve on Nov. 27, 2024. He went on injured reserve again on Aug. 27, 2025, moved to injured reserve with a designation to return on Oct. 1, and was activated on Oct. 18.

Dallas Cowboys Cornerback Room Behind DaRon Bland

Dallas kept Carson along with DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant, Shavon Revel Jr., and Ameer Speed. Rookie Devin Moore went on injured reserve with a designation to return and must miss at least the first 4 games.

Dallas waived cornerbacks Reddy Steward, Zion Childress, Trikweze Bridges, and Josh Butler on Sunday and released Derion Kendrick.

Dallas opens the regular season Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.