Cowboys adding SMU defensive coordinator to coaching staff

The Dallas Cowboys had a major problem on defense last season, and they made sure to fix that situation at the end of the year. After firing Matt Eberflus, they almost did a complete overhaul on the defensive staff to start fresh, so they can attack the offseason on the right note.

One of their latest hires was a defensive coordinator from the college level, and he’s highly respected, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

“The Cowboys are hiring SMU defensive coordinator Scott Symons as inside linebackers coach, per source. A highly respected college DC, Symons had interest from multiple NFL teams this cycle and elected to join Brian Schottenheimer’s revamped defensive staff and stay in Dallas,” Pelissero wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Symons was with SMU since 2022, and he helped the team go 38-16 during that time. They even made the College Football Playoffs 2024, and their defense was a big reason for it. During that season, SMU ranked in the Top 25 in multiple categories on that side of the ball, including defensive touchdowns, rushing defense, and team sacks, among other things.

They were the same dominant group in 2025 as well, and ranked in the Top 25 in multiple categories on defense again.

That’s the type of coaching the Cowboys need, as they ranked 30th in total yards allowed and last in scoring defense last season. It will now be up to Christian Parker to transform the unit, and he’s coming from the Philadelphia Eagles, where they’ve been one of the better defensive teams in the league over the past few seasons.

Symons will only make things better, and the hope is that he can have a major impact on the linebackers.

There’s no doubt that the Cowboys were serious about improving their defense after what happened last season, and started fast and early.

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