Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cowboys veteran makes it clear who he wants as new defensive coordinator

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Zach Dimmitt | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 9:55 AM ET

After an awful season on defense, the Dallas Cowboys are continuing the process of finding a new defensive coordinator.

Dallas officially fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on Jan. 6, less than a year after he was hired by the team.

The search has included interviews for candidates within The Star and around the league, as the front office is clearly doing its due diligence in hopes of turning things around on that side of the ball.

But as the process continues, one Cowboys veteran is making it clear who he wants to see take over the reins.

Solomon Thomas Gives Vote of Approval for Aaron Whitecotton

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

While speaking to the media recently at a charity event, Cowboys veteran defensive lineman Solomon Thomas said that defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton is "the man for the job."

"He's been amazing to me," Thomas said, per the team website. "Every d-line I've been on, we've been great under him. He commands intensity, he commands greatness, he has a high standard for us that he doesn't bend on ever. Whether it's Week 1 or Week 17 and you're not going to the playoffs, he holds us to the same standard every day."

" ... I definitely believe he's the man for the job, a man who could do it, and a man who would dominate in his first year," Thomas continued.

Thomas has spent the last four years with Whitecotton, three in the Meadowlands with the New York Jets and this season with the Cowboys. Time will tell if he's the guy Dallas wants to turn things around or if the Cowboys will look elsewhere.