Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer defends players-only meeting despite Mike Tomlin’s criticism

The Dallas Cowboys’ uneven start continued in Week 5, when they fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and dropped to 2-3 through five games.

Much of the scrutiny has centered on Dallas’ defense, which has struggled to find consistency during the team’s early-season stretch. Against that backdrop, the Cowboys held a players-only meeting.

While former Pittsburgh Steelers coach and current NBC Sports NFL analyst Mike Tomlin questioned what players-only meetings could signal for an NFL team, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer does not view the situation as cause for alarm. Instead, he sees a players-only meeting as a sign that “everyone’s rowing in the same direction.”

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Schottenheimer continued, explaining why he sees value in players-only meetings: “I love it. I’ve said from the very beginning, the best teams I’ve ever been around are led by the locker room. And my information that I received from some of those guys that called that meeting, it was very productive. It was very open and honest.”

After last Thursday’s loss to the Bucs, Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown confirmed reports that the defensive players held a meeting to assess whether they were meeting the team’s standards. The players went “by bullet point, bullet point,” Overshown said, working through the areas where they needed to improve.

During the latest episode of Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, Tomlin offered a blunt assessment when asked about NFL players holding meetings without coaches or other staff members.

“I think you’re dead,” he said.

MIKE TOMLIN OFFERS BLUNT TAKE ON NFL PLAYERS-ONLY MEETINGS: ‘I THINK YOU’RE DEAD’

Tomlin later clarified that his concern was less about whether a players-only meeting had occurred than about the fact that it became a subject of public discussions. “If it did occur, I’d like to not hear about it,” Tomlin said. “The fact that you hear about it is what makes it BS.”

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stands on the sidelines before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 12, 2026. (Barry Reeger/Imagn Images)

Matt Eberflus served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last season under Schottenheimer. He joined the San Francisco 49ers as assistant head coach/defense for 2026, with Dallas turning to Christian Parker to lead the defense.

The Cowboys have shown modest improvement under Parker in some areas, but they still rank near the bottom of the NFL in yards allowed per game through five weeks.

Shortly after last Thursday’s 24-16 loss to the Bucs, Schottenheimer began reshaping a Dallas defense that has struggled for much of the season. That reshuffling has already included a notable addition, with Mike Pettine set to join the Cowboys as a senior defensive assistant. Pettine has also worked with Parker in the past.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer during the second half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. (Lon Horwedel/Imagn Images)

Schottenheimer also confirmed that Parker will be in the boot instead of the sideline for the Cowboys Week 6 matchup with the Green Bay Packers at historic Lambeau Field.

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“The pride of that unit is strong,” he said. “There’s some really, really prideful men in that room, and we’re going to get it fixed. I have no question about that. But it doesn’t bother me at all. It means everyone’s rowing in the same direction trying to get this thing fixed.”