Dallas Cowboys Coach Tracker: “Double Dip” hires; Jones meets George Edwards

FRISCO – Dallas Cowboys Coach Tracker …. keeping you up to date with the fact that “America’s Team” makes coaching staff decisions …

WEDNESDAY PM: JONESES MEETS WITH EDWARDS In addition to coach George Edwards’ interview with head coach Mike McCarthy over the weekend (before Dan Quinn was hired later), the Jones family has now visited with Edwards the idea of Cowboys assistant coach staying at The Star in a certain capacity. . .

Edwards, the former Viking coordinator, came here a year ago not as a member of the Mike Nolan team, but rather as an McCarthy employee. He was once on the same Dolphins staff as Quinn. And he once coached the defenders for the Cowboys.

WEDNESDAY AM: WHITT JR. COME ON BOARD A The Cowboys gets the urge to cast double standards: head coach Mike McCarthy named Joe Whitt Jr. “defensive pass coordinator / assistant coach.” Whitt was given permission to contract in Atlanta (which could have happened anyway in whoever hires the Falcons as the next coach) and gets a two-year contract here.

Whitt spent a decade on the McCarthy Packers team and will likely be assisted by Al Harris, the former Packers player who joined Dallas last year as DB coach. With Whitt, Mo Linquist will probably leave.

Dallas is also working on adding a new D line coach. We reported on Tosh Lupoi and Travis Jones. (See below.) Now add Giff Smith mixes it up.

TUESDAY I HAVE: CAMPBELL COACH? Could former Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell be the next Detroit Lions head coach? A source told CowboysSI.com that while Niners coordinator Robert Saleh has entered the process as a favorite, there is “influence in the building” in Detroit that could “favor” and therefore push Campbell – who was officially interviewed for Monday’s service – in front of the package.

Campbell is currently the assistant head coach for the New Orleans Saints, and in 2015 he was the interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Campbell, 44, is originally from Clifton, Texas and is a product of Texas A&M and would bring an old-school approach to Lions staff.

MONDAY PM: LAST WORDS “Grace, character and brotherhood” … Dan Quinn came on board with a three-year deal. Do you want background? Read here: “What does Dan Quinn’s ‘Last Words’ mean while the Dallas Cowboys hire him as a defensive coordinator?”

MONDAY AM: PERSONNEL QUINN? Dan Quinn’s second interview (this one face to face) takes place on Monday, and one of the topics will be the proposed composition of his staff.

Quinn plus Joe Whitt Jr. (as a top defensive assistant with the title of “passing game coordinator” or something) are the thoughts of many inside The Star. Whitt will take over the secondary, which was a failure at the hands of McCarthy – he chose the staff in 2019.

A potential hurdle: What if Raheem Morris gets the job of head coach in Atlanta? In this case, Whitt could remain there as coordinator. … which could lead to Jason Simmons’ “coordinator / secondary” job.

In addition, there is a vacancy in Dallas for line coach D. The property would like to keep Leon Lett in an assistant role. An interesting name if available for change in Atlanta is Tosh Lupoi, Quinn’s defensive line coach in 2019 and running coordinator. In his resume is a five-season internship in Alabama. Another name: Travis Jones, another Atlanta employee who was also with Nick Saban back at LSU.

Dallas is certainly leaning toward a return to the 4-3 defense and the people who run the gym who have experience as “teachers.”

We note that while Dallas appears to be approaching Quinn, an official interview with senior staff George Edwards took place. Details here.

Also: While McCarthy would definitely like to keep Scott McCurley as coach of defenders, the front office will have a say there – and the availability of Sean Lee as a retired player who wants to start a coaching career could also.

MONDAY AM: QUINN INTERVIEWS The Dallas Cowboys have added their list of candidates to take on the role of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Quinn was the Falcons’ head coach from 2015-2020, a race that included a pair of Super Bowl-looking playoff berths in 2016.

READ MORE: Cowboys Interview Falcons Ex Dan Quinn

Click above. The coordinator’s credentials are impressive … and then read below about how Mike McCarthy’s “guy” isn’t necessarily … which could be a good thing.

SUNDAY PM: IT’S “MCCARTHY’S HIRE,” BUT … A source tells CowboysSI.com that “this is McCarthy’s employee.” But we are told that during the interview process, a “top executive at the front office” may also be present for visits.

SUNDAY PM: CAROLINA ASSISTANT INTERVIEWS Another candidate emerges as Panthers coordinator-step-defensive / secondary Jason Simmons interviewed for the Dallas coordinator position, a visit that, according to ESPN, included both Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones for the Dallas Cowboys . This information coincides with our report that a top executive will be involved in the McCarthy interviews.

Simmons and McCarthy, as you might guess, worked together in Green Bay.

SUNDAY I HAVE: PACKAGE OFFERS? a year ago, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy would hire Joe Whitt as defensive coordinator before the post reached another friend of McCarthy’s, Mike Nolan, now removed.

Joe Whitt Jr. is back in the mix, interviewing this weekend for the vacancy. And perhaps one of the most appealing things about him – given his work last year as a “passing game coordinator” for an Atlanta team that finished last in the NFL defending passes – is who could come along with him.

Sources tell CowboysSI.com that while McCarthy has no special relationship with former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, Whitt is obvious – as is Quinn, the guy who hired Whitt in Atlanta. Moreover, the idea that McCarthy could end up hiring Whitt (who the head coach pushes) might be more enjoyable if Quinn can come to The Star, say, as a defensive line coach.

If McCarthy lets go and hires Whitt – there are no guarantees yet, as other viable candidates, including current Cowboys adviser George Edwards, are also worth a discussion) – this increases the likelihood that other McCarthy staff will keep the jobs. In the case of an Edwards hiring, he could make staff changes, just like most of those he would bring in from outside.

But what if McCarthy can lure Whitt and Quinn (who, rightly, certainly has the vision set above to be a position coach)? Jones may be impressed enough to allow McCarthy to handle the rest of the defensive staff that remains in his place.

SATURDAY PM: EASY EDWARDS A smart and “easy” move? Raise George Edwards. Edwards, the former Viking coordinator, was already in the building, but was not technically part of Nolan’s staff.

READ MORE: Marvin Lewis, Quinn, Edwards among the best candidates in Dallas?

It could be a compromise between the Jones family and McCarthy.

SATURDAY I HAVE: INTERVIEW WHITT – WITH A DIVISION Joe Whitt Jr. is a sensitive name for McCarthy.

READ MORE: Sources: McCarthy Pushing For Whitt – whom he almost hired last year

But Whitt, despite his connection to Green Bay, can’t exactly use his last season in Atlanta as a resume builder.

FRIDAY PM: TOP DC CANDIDATES We created our list … some of them our names, but most of them are names inside the building or names with obvious connections to those inside the building.

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