Vikings Coach Heads to Cowboys

The Minnesota Vikings have experienced more coaching upheaval than usual in 2026, and this week, defensive line coach Marcus Dixon joined the party by taking his talents to Dallas. The former player turned coach will return to the team that gave him his big player audition 18 years ago.

Dixon’s exit opens a key coaching staff spot, and Minnesota’s quick move for Nielsen signals an urgency to keep the ship afloat.

The Vikings, meanwhile, replaced Dixon with defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen.

Marcus Dixon’s Move to Dallas Hits a Key Vikings Group

Dixon lands in a familiar spot.

Dixon to DAL

Cowboys reporter Patrik Walker broke the news this week: “The work continues to rebuild the defensive staff under newly-hired defensive coordinator Christian Parker, and the Dallas Cowboys have landed yet another target on that side of the ball — namely, Marcus Dixon.”

“Dixon and the Cowboys have officially agreed to a contract that adds him to the coaching staff as defensive line coach, a role he knows exceptionally well, and the same can be said about his familiarity with the organization as a whole; and replaces Aaron Whitecotton, who departed to reunite with Robert Saleh for the Tennessee Titans.”

Dixon’s contract was up in Minnesota, and the organization did not retain him.

Walker added, “The 41-year-old native of Georgia was once a player on the Cowboys’ roster, having clawed his way into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2008, signed by Dallas at defensive end before eventually playing for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans.”

“Following a brief stint in the CFL for the BC Lions, Dixon launched his coaching career, heading back to Hampton, where he was once a First-team- All-MEAC (2007) edge rusher but, this time, to coach up their defensive line and as director of player development and recruiting coordinator.”

The Cowboys’ defense ranked 32nd in the NFL per EPA/Play in 2025.

The Resume

Minnesota grabbed Dixon from the Denver Broncos coaching staff, where he spent two seasons in 2022 and 2023 with the same title under defensive line coach Nathaniel Hackett in 2022 and Sean Payton in 2023. Here’s his coaching resume:

Dixon’s path back to Minnesota traces directly through Kevin O’Connell. He was part of the 2021 Rams staff that won the Super Bowl, working alongside O’Connell, who coordinated Los Angeles’ offense. When O’Connell took the Vikings job immediately after lifting the Lombardi Trophy, Dixon moved on to Denver before eventually crossing paths with him again in Minnesota.

Before coaching, Dixon had his own NFL resume. He appeared in 22 regular-season games with the Jets from 2010 to 2012, serving as a depth defensive lineman and gaining firsthand experience that later informed his transition to the sideline.

The resume as a player:

• Dallas Cowboys (2008–2009)
• New York Jets (2010–2012)
• Kansas City Chiefs (2013)
• Tennessee Titans (2014)

The Pieces Dixon Will Inherit

Without Micah Parsons, who was traded to the Green Bay Packers late last summer, Dixon’s DL life won’t be quite as easy in Dallas. Still, he’ll work with these pieces, with the caveat that Dallas will likely add more beef in free agency and the draft:

• Quinnen Williams (DT)
• Donovan Ezeiruaku (EDGE)
• James Houston (EDGE)
• Kenny Clark (DT)
• Osa Odighizuwa (DT)
• Solomon Thomas (DT)

At defensive tackle, Dixon could do a whole lot worse than Williams and Clark.

Ryan Nielsen in the House for MIN

Minnesota already filled Dixon’s vacancy. Vikings.com‘s Rob Kleifield wrote this week, “Minnesota is welcoming new faces to its coaching staff as February gets rolling. The Vikings on Tuesday announced the hiring of one addition to the offensive staff and two to the defensive staff, the latter offsetting the end of Marcus Dixon’s contract and Daronte Jones’ departure.”

“Dixon fulfilled his two-year contract as the team’s defensive line coach, and Jones was hired away to be the Washington Commanders Defensive Coordinator following four seasons coaching the secondary.”

Our Janik Eckardt on Nielsen: “Ryan Nielsen was viewed as a rising coach a couple of years ago. He was a co-defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints in 2022 and the DC of the Falcons in 2023 and the Jaguars in 2024. Last year, he was a senior defensive assistant. The Vikings interviewed him for their DC opening in 2023, but Brian Flores made the race.”

Nielsen served as the Jaguars‘ defensive coordinator in 2024, but he didn’t last long after Jacksonville finished 31st in EPA/Play. He’s worked in the NFL since 2017, coming up with the New Orleans Saints and working for college squads from 2002 to 2016.

Dixon, down in Dallas, will turn 42 this fall.

Minnesota’s defense ranked third per EPA/Play in 2025, and with Brian Flores back in the saddle, a Top 10 defense should remain.