Dallas Cowboys interview Jason Simmons and Joe Whitt Jr. for defensive coordinator
The Dallas Cowboys on Sunday interviewed Carolina Panthers secondary coach Jason Simmons and Atlanta Falcons secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
Simmons and Whitt Jr. also serve as their teams’ defensive passing game coordinator and both have connections to Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy from their days together with the Green Bay Packers.
Simmons worked for the Packers from 2011-19, getting his start there as an administrative assistant before working his way up to assistant special teams coach and then secondary coach. He joined the Panthers before the 2020 season.
Whitt Jr. worked as the Packers’ secondary/cornerbacks coach from 2009-17. He served as the defensive passing game coordinator in 2018. He was with the Cleveland Browns in 2019 before joining the Falcons in 2020.
The Cowboys expect to interview more candidates in the coming days as they look to replace Mike Nolan, who was fired after the 2020 season.
Nolan was one of McCarthy’s first hires after he was tapped to replace Jason Garrett as the ninth coach in Cowboys history.
The Cowboys decided to move in another direction after the defense allowed a franchise-worst 473 points in 2020, topping the 436 the 2010 team allowed. The 2,541 rushing yards allowed was the second worst in franchise history.
This story was originally published January 10, 2021 at 6:23 PM.
