Cowboys expected to hire former 49ers DC Nick Sorensen as ST coordinator

The Dallas Cowboys are expected to hire Nick Sorensen as their new special teams coordinator, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Sorensen will replace John “Bones” Fassel, who left the Cowboys to coach special teams for the Tennessee Titans. The 46-year-old spent the last three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers working under head coach Kyle Shanahan. Sorensen was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 after the firing of Steve Wilks.

The 49ers dealt with numerous injuries on the defensive side of the ball but still finished eighth in total defense. Still, Shanahan felt he needed a change. He fired Sorensen after their season came to a close. Prior to joining San Francisco’s coaching staff, Sorensen served as special teams coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.

Brian Schottenheimer quickly looking to fill Cowboys coaching staff

New head coach Brian Schottenheimer, formally introduced on Monday as the team’s head coach, is quickly making moves to fill out his staff. Earlier Monday, Pelissero reported that former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus will interview for the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator position. As long as the interview goes well, Dallas is expected to hire him.

Schottenheimer, a first-time head coach, is clearly looking for experience. Team owner Jerry Jones is looking for more success and believes Schottenheimer can help them get there. But Jones does acknowledge he’s taking a risk.

“Now I get my proverbial ass kicked over needing people in my comfort zone,” Jones said Monday. “Without this thing being about me in any way, if you don’t think I can’t operate out of my comfort zone, you’re so wrong, it’s unbelievable. This is as big a risk as you could take, as big a risk as you could take. No head coaching experience.”