FRISCO, Texas – Over the next two days, the Cowboys are scheduled to speak with three candidates for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
On Thursday, Dallas will speak with Eagles DBs coach and pass game coordinator Christian Parker, who came into the picture on Wednesday, as well as Giants interim DC Charlie Bullen. Friday, they'll interview Packers DL coach and run game coordinator Demarcus Covington.
This brings the total number of candidates the Cowboys have/will interview to nine, joining Ravens DC Zach Orr, former Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon, Broncos defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard, Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda and Dallas' current DL coach Aaron Whitecotton.
Bullen, 41, is the second interviewee the Cowboys have requested from an NFC East rival team. After New York released Shane Bowen in late November, he took over as the interim defensive coordinator for the remainder of the season.
Previously, Bullen spent the 2024 season and the majority of 2025 as the outside linebackers coach, where he's coached Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux into one of the more imposing outside linebacker units in the NFL.
After finishing his college career at St. Norbert in 2005, Bullen began coaching at Iowa City high school as a volunteer assistant. He then joined the University of Iowa staff as a student assistant for two seasons, and then became a graduate assistant for three years starting in 2009. He got his start in the NFL with the Dolphins in 2012 as a defensive assistant.
Bullen would remain with the Dolphins from 2012-18, serving as assistant DL coach and assistant LBs coach during his time there. In 2019, Bullen joined the Cardinals as assistant LBs coach before being promoted to OLBs coach in 2022. After a year at the University of Illinois in 2023 as OLBs coach/pass rush coordinator, he joined the Giants' staff.
Covington, 36, is the fourth interviewee in Dallas' DC coach that has been a DC in the NFL at some point in the past. Before becoming the Packers' DL coach and run game coordinator this season, he was the Patriots' DC in 2024. That year, New England finished as the 22nd total defense and was 10th against the pass.
After four years playing wide receiver at Samford, Covington became a defensive graduate assistant at UAB in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama in 2012. He then held the same role at Ole Miss in 2013-14 before becoming the DL coach at UT Martin in 2015. His final year of coaching in college came in 2016 where he was the co-DC and DL coach at Eastern Illinois.
In 2017, Covington was hired by the Patriots as a coaching assistant. He would stay with the organization up until this season, where he moved from coaching assistant to OLBs coach in 2019, then DL coach from 2020-23 before becoming the DC in 2024. He helped New England win Super Bowl LIII in 2019, where the Patriots' defense held the Los Angeles Rams to just 3 total points.
To keep up with the latest on Dallas' search for a new defensive coordinator, visit our official 2026 defensive coordinator candidate tacker when you click here.
