Anderson (2009) suggests, because of its primitive jaw structure, Dunkleosteus should be placed outside the family Dinichthyidae, perhaps close to the base of the clade Pachyosteomorpha, near Eastmanosteus.
Anderson (in 2009) sugerează că, datorită structurii primitive a maxilarului, Dunkleosteus ar trebui plasat în afara familiei Dinichthyidae, probabil aproape de baza clasei Pachyosteomorpha, lângă Eastmanosteus.