Daronte Jones, Ephraim Banda, Jim Leonhard to interview for Cowboys defensive coordinator

The Cowboys have lined up their first three interviews with defensive coordinator candidates.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that they will speak with Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda on Friday. Broncos defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard will meet with the Cowboys on Saturday.

The last three Cowboys defensive coordinators - Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus - all had NFL head coaching experience in the past, but that's not the case for any of these three candidates. Leonhard was the interim head coach at the University of Wisconsin in 2022 and went 4-3.

None of the three have been defensive coordinators in the NFL either, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week that is not a prerequisite for the job.