The Dallas Cowboys are witnessing the first Brian Schottenheimer staff take shape. The head coach and the franchise have lured in three new names ahead of the 2025 season.
Schottenheimer and the Cowboys have named Dave Borgonzi, Aaron Whitecotton and Andre Curtis to the staff, the team announced Wednesday. All three are defensive hires. And all three new additions were greatly influenced by new Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Schottenheimer, though, had final say on the hires as head coach.
Borgonzi will oversee the linebackers. Whitecotton is set to coach up the Cowboys defensive line. Curtis comes in as the team’s passing game coordinator.
Two of the three hires either hold previous ties to the Cowboys or Schottenheimer.
Breakdown of new Cowboys assistant coaches under Brian Schottenheimer
Schottenheimer is helping bring a past Cowboys assistant back to Dallas.
Borgonzi coached the Cowboys linebacker unit from 2012 to 2013. He worked with former Dallas head coach Jason Garrett during that period. Borgonzi got to coach future NFL Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware during his previous Cowboys tenure. Anthony Spencer delivered his lone Pro Bowl season under Borgonzi — leading Dallas with 95 tackles and 11 sacks in 2012. Borgonzi is rejoining Eberflus, as both were with the Chicago Bears this past season.
Whitecotton arrives to Dallas via the New York Jets. He even interviewed for the Green Bay Packers defensive line coach opening, per Josh Alper of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. Whitecotton spent four seasons in New York under former Jets head coach Robert Saleh. His other stops include the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Curtis comes with past Seattle Seahawks ties to Schottenheimer. He coached the defensive backs while also working as the passing game coordinator from 2015 to 2021 — during a time Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator. Curtis knows the new Dallas DC too, having served as Eberflus’ safeties coach last season in Chicago.
Eberflus is succeeding Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator. Whitecotton is taking over for Jeff Zgonina. Borgonzi takes the spot held by Scott McCurley. While Curtis is helping replace Al Harris.
