Cowboys Hire Monte Kiffin As Defensive Coordinator

ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that the Dallas Cowboys have reached an agreement with Monte Kiffin to be their next defensive coordinator.

Werder adds that the Cowboys will move to a 4-3 defensive front next season as a result of Kiffin being hired.

The most interesting aspect of this move is related to players that will be impacted by a change in defensive scheme next season. Jay Ratliff will no longer play nose tackle and given his injury history and the amount of money he makes next year, he seems like a reasonable candidate to be released. DeMarcus Ware moves to defensive end which probably isn’t a huge deal, but it could have a big impact on their decision as to whether or not they should keep Anthony Spencer. Sean Lee could be forced to move to outside linebacker and there are questions regarding how CBs Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne fit into the Tampa 2 defensive scheme.

Kiffin is reportedly willing to work with the two cornerbacks instead of forcing them to adjust to his scheme, which really seems like the best move from a personnel standpoint.

—————–

According to Fox Sports Southwest, the Cowboys are close to hiring Monte Kiffin as their next defensive coordinator.

Kiffin reportedly met with head coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones at the team’s facility.

The Cowboys parted ways with Rob Ryan earlier in the week and since then names like Ray Horton, Lovie Smith and Dave Wannstedt have all been mentioned as being potential replacements.

——————-

Ed Werder of ESPN Dallas reports sources have informed him that the Cowboys are “focused” on bringing in Monte Kiffin as their next defensive coordinator.

Kiffin’s name has been tossed around a bit in recent days following his resignation as USC’s defensive coordinator. There were reports that he could be an option for the Chiefs defensive coordinator job as well. Hiring Kiffin would be a pretty clear sign that Dallas is prepared to move forward with a 4-3 defense rather than the 3-4 that they’ve been using in recent years. To his credit, he was the creator of the Tampa 2 defense that has become pretty popular across the league.

It’s worth noting that Jason Garrett is familiar with Kiffin as they were both with the Buccaneers back in 2004.