The Dallas Cowboys have parted ways with six assistant coaches after their NFC Divisional loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Cowboys’ OL coach Joe Philbin, RB coach Skip Peete and senior defensive assistant George Edwards did not get their contracts renewed. Also, assistant HC Rob Davis, quality control/analytics coach Kyle Valero and assistant DL coach Leon Lett are not coming back on Cowboys’ staff.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 26, 2023
All of the coaches were not fired. Their expired contracts weren’t renewed. They were simply told to pack their things and go. It was surprising, however, that this many coaches were let go on the same day.
Out are assistant head coach Rob Davis, senior defensive assistant George Edwards, assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett, running backs coach Skip Peete, offensive line coach Joe Philbin, and quality control analytics coach Kyle Valero.
“We thank these men for their hard work, dedication and contributions to the Cowboys,” coach Mike McCarthy said in a statement. “Each of them represented our team and organization at a high, professional level with class and commitment to making our team better. These were difficult decisions to make because of the great respect I have for each of them as a coach and person of character, combined with the experiences we’ve all gone through together. This is the hardest part of the business and we wish them nothing but the best.”
The fact that McCarthy made the announcement suggests he’ll be back in 2023. He was 12-5 in each of the last two seasons, which is respectable. Even with this record, it wasn’t good enough to keep six members of his staff employed for another year.
Dallas has a lot to do this upcoming off-season. Not only to fill in the vacant coaching positions, but also to try and bring back some key free agents. The biggest come on the offensive side of the ball. Running back Tony Pollard and tight end Dalton Schultz are to be unrestricted free agents. The Cowboys can also franchise tag one of them which means the other will most likely test the market.
With the Philadelphia Eagles ascending and the New York Giants improving, it will be interesting to see how this Cowboys team will look like next season. Dallas is still one of the better teams in the NFL. They should at least be favorites to make the playoffs according to Texas sports-books.
