Cowboys hire former NFL head coach, Packers' DC to help fix struggling defense — SkimNews
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- Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer announced the hire of Mike Pettine, 60, as senior defensive assistant on Monday to support defensive coordinator Christian Parker, whose unit ranks 26th in points allowed and dead-last (32nd) in third-down efficiency through five games.
- Pettine previously served as Browns head coach (2014-2015), Jets defensive coordinator under Rex Ryan (2009-2010), Packers DC (2018-2020), and most recently Vikings assistant head coach/OLB coach; he broke into the NFL with the Ravens in 2002.
- Pettine gave Parker his first NFL job in 2019 during his second season as Green Bay's defensive coordinator, and the Cowboys meet the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday night.
- The Cowboys' 24-16 home loss to Tampa Bay — in which undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels made his second career start and Bucky Irving rushed for a career-high 165 yards — prompted Schottenheimer to finally fill the senior defensive assistant vacancy.
- Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. missed the Tampa Bay game with pre-kickoff illness symptoms but practiced Monday, potentially returning against Green Bay.
- Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown described a players-only meeting as accountability-focused, telling reporters: "the ship is only going to go as far as the weakest person on the boat."
Why it matters: Schottenheimer is betting that Pettine's familiarity with Parker's scheme — dating to Parker's first NFL job in Green Bay — plus a coordinator résumé that includes Rex Ryan-era Jets playoff runs can stabilize a unit allowing at least 20 points in every game before a Sunday night test at Lambeau, where Dallas is also expected to get cornerback Joey Porter Jr. back from illness.
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