Dallas Cowboys are now expected to interview the top two NFL head coach candidates in an unforeseen turn of events

The last time the Dallas Cowboys went shopping for a new head coach, they interviewed two candidates: Mike McCarthy and Marvin Lewis.

So when reports emerged last Monday on the Cowboys being interested in Deion Sanders, it appeared to kick off a similar process: The Jerry Jones-led front office was likely going to focus on its list of guys without first going through a thorough search. 

That feeling was reinforced by the fact the Cowboys had waited for a full week before reaching a decision on McCarthy, which was partly made by the former head coach when the sides failed to agree on contract length. The Cowboys' waiting caused them to miss out on interview opportunities of coaches on a bye week, most notably, the Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.

Both Johnson and Glenn are among the top head coaching candidates in this cycle, as their play-calling has given the Lions gameday advantages on a weekly basis. Plus, they've seen firsthand how Dan Campbell has built a unique culture in the Lions. Missing out on these two was naturally perceived as a major reason for pessimism around the Cowboys' coaching search. Not looking into the two candidates would be malpractice. 

According to Calvin Watkins from The Dallas Morning News, however, both are now expected to be interviewed by the Cowboys. 

"(Johnson and Glenn) are going to also be expected to come in for interviews," reported Watkins. 

Because they're on a playoff team, the Cowboys have to wait to conduct in-person interviews with these two candidates. Per NFL rules, assistant coaches on playoff teams have to wait until they're eliminated or, if headed to the Super Bowl, until the bye week leading up to it. The same applies for Kellen Moore, whose interview is happening this weekend but in a virtual format. 

Time will tell if the Cowboys are seriously interested in either Johnson or Glenn but at least, it seems like they won't pass on interviewing them all together, with would be a terrible way to perform "due diligence."