The Cowboys continue to fill out their defensive staff under Christian Parker.
FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys are expected to hire SMU defensive coordinator Scott Symons as their inside linebackers coach.
For the last four years, Symons has served as SMU’s DC and safeties coach. In the last three seasons, he was a nominee for the Broyles Award, given each year to the nation’s top collegiate assistant coach. In 2024, he helped SMU reach their first College Football Playoff in school history.
This past season, Symons helped SMU’s defense to finishing fifth in the nation in turnovers gained, fifth in red zone defense, eight in passes intercepted, 19th in rushing defense and 23rd in sacks.
Prior to joining the staff at SMU, Symons was the defensive coordinator at Liberty from 2019-2021. In 2018, he was the linebackers coach at Memphis ahead of taking his first FBS level DC job.
A Metroplex native and Baylor grad is coming back home to join the Cowboys coaching staff.
Kyle Fuller, who played in 53 games (playoffs included) and made 12 total starts over a seven-year NFL career before moving on to coaching, will join the Cowboys staff in 2026 as an assistant offensive line coach and quality control coach, according to a Friday report from ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Fuller had most recently been on staff with the Las Vegas Raiders, having spent last season in a quality control role in Pete Carroll’s only year as head coach. That job followed brief graduate assistant stints for Fuller at North Carolina and Appalachian State.
Torry Holt advises the Cowboys to keep George Pickens for the foreseeable future.
The Dallas Cowboys knocked it out of the park with the trade for George Pickens. Not only did the land a legitimate WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb, but his performance was so spectacular that he appears to be a No. 1 wide receiver on most other teams.
The Cowboys will assuredly slap Pickens with the franchise tag as they try to work out a long-term deal, though there exists a very real possibility that the two parties don’t come to some sort of happy medium. In the odds of one legendary pass-catcher, that would be the worst-case scenario for all involved.
In an appearance on Kay Adams’ “Up and Adams” show, former St. Louis Rams legend Torry Holt begged the Cowboys to “do the right thing” and agree to a long-term contract extension with Pickens. However, Holt wasn’t just willing to blindly throw roses at Pickens’ feet either.
Holt called Pickens a “freak of nature,” but also asked him to “grow up” in a sense and “lock in all the time” on the field. These sorts of questions have been around Pickens for years, and it is on him to prevent names like Holt from assigning those qualifications to his stock as a player.
The Cowboys certainly need upgrades in the secondary.
After finishing dead last in points allowed per game (30.1) and 30th in yards per game allowed (377), it’s no secret the Dallas Cowboys top priority this offseason is rebuilding the defense. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker seems to have renewed the optimism around Cowboys Nation, however, considering how horrendous the defense was last season, he’ll need all the help he can get to turn things around.
The best way for the Cowboys to help Christian Parker succeed is to identify the players who fit his system and acquire them via whatever means are necessary, starting first with free agency. One such player they could target is Coby Bryant, who is fresh off a Super Bowl victory. His skill set and position flex could be exactly what Parker needs to help turn the defense around, but of course that comes at a price.
According to Spotrac, Coby Bryant’s market value is currently predicted to earn him a two-year, $28.5 million contract with an annual salary of approximately $14.3 million. The Cowboys haven’t spent that type of money on a single player in what seems like forever, but it could be worth it considering the versatility Bryant would add to the Cowboys secondary.
The Dallas Cowboys have been working overtime to improve on the defensive side of the ball during the NFL offseason, after a disastrous 2025 campaign. Dallas kicked off its offseason by firing Matt Eberflus and hiring new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, which has led to some excitement among the fan base.
Now, it’s time to reload the roster.
One name that keeps popping up regarding the Cowboys is Las Vegas Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby. Crosby was linked to Dallas ahead of the NFL trade deadline, and the rumors continue to swirl as his relationship with the Raiders continues to sour.
While there is no guarantee that Crosby will be traded in the offseason, NFL insider Jordan Schultz believes the Cowboys are one of the only teams in the league that could provide an enticing enough package to trigger a trade.
“The only way the Raiders move Crosby is if they command somewhere along the lines of a Micah Parsons package,” Schultz said. “That’s the type of haul that the Raiders would have to get to even consider moving Crosby. I don’t even know if they want to move him. I’m not convinced they do.”