The Dallas Cowboys are mere days removed from seeing their season come to a conclusion in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
For Dallas, this represented the 27th consecutive season the team has failed to earn a spot in the conference championship.
While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated immediately after the loss that head coach Mike McCarthy would be back, he’s going to have several new staff members.
ESPN’s Todd Archer is reporting that the Dallas Cowboys have opted to move off several assistant coaches. The list includes senior defensive assistant George Edwards, assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett, running backs coach Skip Peete and offensive line coach Joe Philbin. All four were among those with expiring contracts, meaning that they were not necessarily fired.
The most-notable names on the list are Joe Philbin and George Edwards. Both were brought to Big D when McCarthy was hired as the Cowboys’ head coach back in 2020. A longtime assistant, Philbin served as the Miami Dolphins head coach from 2012-15. Edwards was the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator for the previous six seasons before heading to Dallas. He played a key role in Micah Parsons’ progression to NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Skip Peete being among those let go is also a bit surprising. Under his watch, running back Tony Pollard morphed from mid-round pick to a Pro Bowler. Peete was also the Dallas Cowboys’ running back coach from 2007-12, working with the likes of the late Marion Barber as well as DeMarco Murray in that role.
More Dallas Cowboys coaching changes expected
Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn continue to receive interest as potential head coaches around the NFL. Moore has drawn interest from the Carolina Panthers this cycle. Meanwhile, Quinn is a candidate for multiple openings. That includes the Denver Broncos. It’s the second consecutive cycle that both have been looked to as potential head coach candidates.
It’s not yet known whether McCarthy will have to replace one of his coordinators. What we do know is that coaching was an issue for Dallas late in the season and during its playoff loss to San Francisco.
It will be interesting to see what changes are made from here. For now, McCarthy will be looking for four new assistant coaches.
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