The Dallas Cowboys fell short in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers, which has seemingly led to a number of coaching changes on Thursday.
According to Jane Slater of NFL Network, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy announced on Thursday that the team will not renew the contracts of a number of assistant coaches.
Those coaches include 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.
Statement from the Dallas Cowboys and HC Mike McCarthy pic.twitter.com/2m0qmn4OF7
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) January 26, 2023
McCarthy issued a statement on these changes, saying that they were “difficult decisions” to make due to the respect he has for them both as coaches and as people.
“We thank these men for their hard work, dedication and contributions to the Cowboys. Each of them represented our team and organization at a high, professional level with class and commitment to making our team better,” said McCarthy. “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.”
While the loss to the 49ers was obviously not the result they were hoping for, many are completely shocked at these drastic decisions coming on six assistant coaches on Thursday.
#Cowboys Wow. 🤔 https://t.co/IiP1TGLmIN
— Deb Carson (@DebCarson) January 26, 2023
Cowboys got rid of six assistant coaches today.
(The assistants weren't the problem.)
— Adam Silverstein (@SilversteinAdam) January 26, 2023
Philbin, a Springfield native, is another offensive line coach available with a vast amount of NFL experience. https://t.co/KksUUm4xOz
— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) January 26, 2023
https://twitter.com/JJT_Journalist/status/1618646442805186560
Philbin gone. https://t.co/pILewEgfjT
— Hal Habib (@gunnerhal) January 26, 2023
Considering both Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore have both interviewed for head coaching positions, we could see an entirely different group of coaches on the Cowboys sideline next season.
There were also rumors of McCarthy’s job security being in jeopardy after the loss, but long-time Cowboys owner Jerry Jones quickly affirmed that the loss had no impact on his role as head coach.
