NFL rumors: 5 best Mike Vrabel landing spots with Patriots job off the table

4. Dallas Cowboys are a place he can call the defense for ... for now...

There is a very real possibility that Vrabel embraces a coordinator role for a year or two to bide his time for something potentially greater on the horizon. Of course, I am talking about his alma mater's program, the Ohio State Buckeyes. If Ryan Day were to falter even more in 2024 or 2025, Vrabel would be my first call to replace Day in Columbus. So where is a good place to be in the meantime?

There are a few places where defensive coordinator roles could open up, but I like the one with the Dallas Cowboys just slightly more than the one that could come available with the San Francisco 49ers. Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is the runaway favorite to lead his former team in the Seattle Seahawks. 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is poised to lead his next NFL team.

What I like about the potential Cowboys opening over the 49ers is that Vrabel would have a realistic shot at being Dallas' head coach at some point, where that is not a possiblity in San Francisco. Another disappointment in the postseason could lead to Mike McCarthy getting whacked. At this point, there is pretty much nothing that Kyle Shanahan can do to ever be fired leading the 49ers.

Vrabel would be an overqualified defensive coordinator in Dallas, but this is not a bad landing spot.