Once the Cowboys season ended, the coaching carousel on defense began. Mike McCarthy, with some heavy input from the Jones family, parted ways with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula followed.
Dan Quinn was brought in to be the defensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr., who has past experience with both McCarthy and Quinn, assumed the role of secondary coach/passing game coordinator.
During the time the Cowboys were looking for a new defensive coordinator, they interviewed their own coach, George Edwards, who had served as a senior assistant on defense last year after being the defensive coordinator under Mike Zimmer in Minnesota for six years.