McCarthy: 'This is the hardest part of the business.' Dallas Cowboys part ways with 6 coaches
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff will look different next season. The team announced on Thursday that they did not renew the contracts for six coaches on Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy's staff.
The coaches listed in the statement include assistant head coach Rob David, senior defensive assistant George Edwards, assistant defensive line coach and former Cowboys player Leon Lett, running backs coach Skip Peet, offensive line coach Joe Philbin and quality control analytics coach Kyle Valero.
The Cowboys, who finished 13-6, could also end up losing defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Both have been interviewing for head coaching jobs.
Davis, the assistant head coach, had the longest relationship with McCarthy. He served as McCarthy's director of player engagement in Green Bay from 2008-17. Davis was the long snapper for the Packers when McCarthy was hired as coach in 2006.
Edwards was a senior defensive assistant who took a leading role with the linebackers and was praised on Twitter by two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons.
Edwards joined the Cowboys when McCarthy was hired in 2020, as did Philbin and Peete. It was Peete's second stint as Dallas' running backs coach.
Lett, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman who played on all three Super Bowl-winning Dallas teams in the 1990s, just finished his 12th season on the staff. Valero had been with the Cowboys since 2014.
"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," McCarthy said. "These were difficult decisions to make because of the great respect I have for each of them as 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 Dallas Cowboys avoided another one-and-done playoff run by decisively beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 in the NFC wild-card game on January 16 however they couldn't sustain the momentum and lost 19-12 the following week to the San Francisco 49ers.
According to CBS Sports, the Cowboys have made twelve consecutive playoff runs without making it to the conference championship game, giving them the dubious distinction of being the only NFL team to do that.
