Dallas Cowboys coaching candidate profile: Leslie Frazier

Here is what you need to know about Leslie Frazier.

As the rumor mill continues to swirl in the Cowboys’ head coaching search, a few names have already emerged who are set to interview with the team. One name that caught many by surprise was Lezlie Frazier.

Frazier is a well-traveled coach who spent this past season as the assistant head coach in Seattle for first year head coach Mike Macdonald, the youngest head coach in the NFL. Macdonald also went on to become the first Seahawks head coach to ever win 10 games in his first season, though Seattle missed the playoffs anyway.

Frazier was part of that successful first year, serving as a mentor for the young Macdonald. He’s also been a head coach before, leading the Vikings for three and a half seasons prior to Mike Zimmer’s run in Minnesota. A longtime defensive coordinator, Frazier would bring loads of experience, though he’s not exactly a hot name right now. How would he fit in Dallas?

Prior head coaching experience

Frazier has had experience leading an NFL team before, something that’s considered important to Jerry Jones. As the defensive coordinator in Minnesota, Frazier was appointed to interim head coach following a 3-7 start to the 2010 season. Frazier matched the Vikings’ win total in his interim run, going 3-3 and earning the full time job.

His first full season was marked by offensive inconsistency after Brett Favre retired. Replaced by an aging Donovan McNabb and, later, rookie Christian Ponder, the quarterback situation was a question mark all year long and the Vikings finished 3-13.

The next year was much better, thanks in large part to an MVP season from Adrian Peterson. Minnesota went 10-6 and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team, ultimately getting bounced by Mike McCarthy’s Packers in the first round.

The following year was a return to the bottom of the standings, though. Minnesota’s defense, which relied heavily on rookies and second-year players, fell off a cliff and the Vikings failed to win a single road game, finishing 5-10-1. Frazier was fired after the season ended.

Defensive prowess

Frazier has built his name off being an elite defensive coach, and that stems from his playing days. The Alcorn State alum played for Mike Ditka’s Bears back in the day, and he led the legendary 1985 Bears in interceptions on the way to the franchise’s only Super Bowl. An injury in said Super Bowl ended his career, but Frazier quickly found a career in coaching.

His first NFL job came as the defensive backs coach for Andy Reid’s inaugural staff in Philadelphia, where he learned from legendary defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. He was later hired as the first defensive coordinator of Marvin Lewis’ Bengals before matriculating to the Vikings.

There, he led the defense for head coach Brad Childress, another Reid disciple. Between Childress’ high-powered West Coast spread offense and Frazier’s aggressive, disciplined defense, the Vikings won the NFC North in consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2009, falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints in the NFC championship game in 2009.

Childress was fired the next year, moving Frazier into the top role, but he remained the defensive play-caller. While the offense faltered in the coming years, Frazier’s defense continued to carry the team.

Later stops as the defensive coordinator with the Buccaneers and Bills, as well as a stint coaching the defensive backs in Baltimore (where he first met Macdonald), only served as a further reminder of how elite Frazier’s defenses typically are.

Schematically, Frazier’s defenses are built on attacking principles upfront with a wide variety of zone coverages on the back end to flood passing lanes. His broad defensive knowledge has allowed Frazier to adapt often to his personnel while maintaining an aggressive mentality that often leads to sacks and turnovers.

Offensive identity

As will be the case with any defensive head coach, Frazier’s first question will be about his offensive schemes. A longtime colleague of Andy Reid, Frazier’s likely default is to someone from that tree. He remains close with Childress, a fellow Reid disciple, and Frazier’s offensive coordinator when he ran the Vikings was Bill Musgrave, another Reid disciple who currently works with the Browns as a senior offensive assistant.

A couple names that could make sense are Mike Kafka and Eric Bieniemy. Kafka is currently the offensive coordinator for the Giants, though Brian Daboll took over play-calling this past year. Kafka has been requested for head coaching interviews this cycle, and may be interested in leaving for a play-calling opportunity regardless. Meanwhile, Bieniemy was a longtime coordinator for the Chiefs under Reid who has since gotten a chance to call plays for both the Commanders and UCLA Bruins.

Frazier also spent considerable time as part of Sean McDermott’s Bills team, which has featured numerous high-powered offenses over the years. Ken Dorsey had been doing a solid job as the coordinator, though he was fired midseason last year in favor of Joe Brady. Dorsey spent this past season as the Browns offensive coordinator, though head coach Kevin Stefanski calls the plays, and Dorsey is now available again.

Renewed interest in second shot

It’s been just over a decade now since Frazier was last an NFL head coach, and the time in between has seen some growth from the coach. His wildly successful tenure leading the Bills defense led to renewed interest in Frazier as a head coaching candidate.

Following the 2020 season, Frazier was a finalist for the Texans head coaching job that ultimately went to David Culley, who was fired just one season in. A year later, he interviewed with the Giants, Dolphins, and Bears and was reportedly one of three finalists for the Giants job; it ultimately went to Brian Daboll, another Buffalo coordinator, who is now 18-32-1 with the Giants.

Frazier departed the Bills after the 2022 season, as head coach Sean McDermott sought tweaks to the defense, and he ultimately took over play-calling. Frazier spent the 2023 season visiting with NFL teams throughout the year, including the Ravens, which served as a natural segue to his current role with the Seahawks and Macdonald.

Frazier has yet to receive any other interview requests this cycle, but his name has been floated multiple times recently, so the Cowboys’ interest isn’t completely out of left field. Both the Texans and Giants chose other candidates over Frazier and very quickly went on to regret it.

Concerns over longevity

The biggest question with Frazier is his age. He’ll turn 66 this April, making him only slightly younger than his colleague Andy Reid, who is the NFL’s oldest head coach. No one doubts Frazier’s experience or knowledge, but it’s fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank.

Any discussion of Frazier being the head coach in Dallas would likely also involve talks about grooming a coach to replace him. Of course, it’s already been reported that Jerry Jones was keen on bringing in Jason Witten for such a role under McCarthy, had he stayed, and that could be part of the approach here too.