The first candidate for the Dallas Cowboys' head coaching vacancy has officially emerged.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys are interested in and are expected to interview former New York Jets head coach and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for the position.
Saleh was most recently hired as an offensive consultant for the Green Bay Packers in October, where he helped in the development of the offensive game plan.
Before that, however, he served as the head coach of the New York Jets. During his time in New York, Saleh 20-36 over four seasons, never winning more than seven games. Saleh went 2-3 before being fired by the Jets this season, and eventually making his way to Green Bay.
Where Saleh really made his name known, however, was as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, leading one of the NFL's best defenses from 2017-2020 under Kyle Shanahan. He even helped the 49ers reach a Super Bowl in 2019.
Saleh is likely just the first of multiple expected candidates to be interviewed by the Cowboys, but if the team is looking to adopt a defensive minded approach, he could be an intriguing fit.