Cowboys Hire Skip Peete
The Giants have interviewed both former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and incumbent offensive coordinator Mike Shula for their vacant OC position, but new head coach Joe Judge may have a few other names in mind, as well. Judge is interested in speaking to ex-Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens and former Dolphins OC Chad O’Shea about positions on his staff, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. Kitchens served as the Browns’ offensive play-caller during the latter portion of the 2018 campaign before becoming head coach in 2019, while O’Shea lasted only one year in Miami. Both could presumably also be considered as position coaches on Judge’s staff.
- New Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has hired Skip Peete as running backs coach, reports Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Peete, who previously coached in Dallas from 2007-12, spent the last four seasons with the Rams, and also has experience with the Raiders and Bears. He’ll be replacing Gary Brown, who had taken over for Peete in 2013.
Poll: Which NFL Team Made The Best Hire?
This year’s head coaching cycle came and went in a flash. The Redskins, Cowboys, Panthers, and Giants moved quickly to find their new sideline leaders and the Browns weren’t far behind as they filled their vacancy on January 11th. 
Now that the dust has settled, we want your take on the best hire of the bunch:
Ron Rivera, Redskins: The Panthers axed Rivera in early December, just before he could finish his ninth season at the helm. Quickly, the Redskins identified him as their top target to take over for interim head coach Bill Callahan, who had been holding down the fort since Jay Gruden‘s midseason dismissal. The Panthers struggled in 2019 without one-time MVP Cam Newton under center, but Rivera comes to D.C. with an impressive resume that includes four playoff appearances, three NFC South titles, and a Super Bowl appearance. The Redskins, meanwhile, haven’t been to the big game since their Super Bowl XXVI victory over the Bills following the 1991 season. Or, to put it another way – more than five years before quarterback Dwayne Haskins was born.
Mike McCarthy, Cowboys: During the season, many speculated that the Cowboys would make a splash by luring former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer out of retirement. Instead, once the Cowboys finally fired Jason Garrett, they restricted their search to experienced NFL head coaches. Only two candidates formally interviewed for the job and McCarthy got the nod over longtime Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. McCarthy clashed with Aaron Rodgers down the stretch in Green Bay, but he’s also credited with grooming him into one of the league’s top quarterbacks. The Cowboys are hopeful that McCarthy can have a similar impact on Dak Prescott’s development.
Matt Rhule, Panthers: The Panthers backed up a Brinks truck to hire former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule. Rhule is credited with turning around the Baylor program and, before that, the Temple program. Despite his lack of pro experience, teams have been eyeing him for the last couple of years. He was also hot during the last cycle, but a would-be deal with the Jets was nixed when Gang Green insisted on picking his assistants for him. This time around, Rhule had all the leverage he needed to get full control over his staff, and a lucrative contract that could pay him anywhere between $60 and $70MM.
Joe Judge, Giants: The Giants were infatuated with Rhule, but they were only willing to go so far. They were also blown away by Judge, who previously served as the Patriots’ special teams coach. Judge didn’t have the household name value of other candidates, but the Giants see him as someone who can handle the New York press and get the most out of young QB Daniel Jones.
Kevin Stefanski, Browns: Stefanski joined the Vikings in 2006 and climbed the ladder to become the team’s offensive coordinator midway through the 2018 season. In 2019, Stefanski’s first full season at the helm, the Vikings ranked as a top-10 offense in points while the the trio of Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and Mike Boone cracked the top six in rushing yards and touchdowns. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins turned in one of his best seasons yet. The Browns have one of the game’s most promising young QBs in Baker Mayfield and a talented backfield group, so they saw Stefanski as a perfect fit, even though the Vikings came up short in the round.
Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comments.
Cowboys Won’t Retain Kris Richard
The Cowboys won’t retain defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Kris Richard or quarterbacks coach Jon Kitna, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News hears. While new head coach Mike McCarthy looks to fill those vacancies, the shakeup could give Richard an opportunity to return to a defensive coordinator position elsewhere.
[RELATED: Cowboys To Give McCarthy Increased Power]
Richard was in the mix for the Giants’ head coaching vacancy and was a finalist for the Dolphins’ HC job last year, before that went to Brian Flores. And, before Jason Garrett was ousted in Dallas, many believed that Richard was next in line to take over as the Cowboys’ DC to eventually replace Rod Marinelli.
Richard’s fate was more or less sealed over the weekend when the Cowboys hired Maurice Linguist away from Texas A&M to manage their secondary. In other Cowboys news, safety Jeff Heath recently underwent shoulder surgery that could impact his Cowboys future.
Updated 2020 NFL Draft Order
The stage has been set for the conference championships. The Titans, Chiefs, 49ers, and Packers are moving on to the semifinals, while the Texans, Seahawks, Ravens, and Vikings will begin planning for the offseason ahead. Unfortunately for the Texans, their first round pick belongs to the Dolphins.
Here’s an updated look at the 2020 NFL Draft order from Nos. 1-28:
1. Bengals (2-14)
2. Redskins (3-13)
3. Lions (3-12-1)
4. Giants (4-12)
5 Dolphins (5-11)
6. Chargers (5-11)
7. Panthers (5-11)
8. Cardinals (5-10-1)
9. Jaguars (6-10)
10. Browns (6-10)
11. Jets (7-9)
12. Raiders (7-9)
13. Colts (7-9)
14. Buccaneers (7-9)
15. Broncos (7-9)
16. Falcons (7-9)
17. Cowboys (8-8)
18. Dolphins (via Steelers 8-8)
19. Raiders (via Bears 8-8)
20. Jaguars (via Rams 9-7)
21. Eagles (9-7)
22. Bills (10-6)
23. Patriots (12-4)
24. Saints (13-3)
25. Vikings (10-6)
26. Dolphins (via Texans 10-6)
27. Seahawks (11-5)
28. Ravens (14-2)
Cowboys Hire Secondary Coach
- The Cowboys have a new secondary coach after letting go of Kris Richard. Dallas is hiring Maurice Linguist away from Texas A&M to fill that role, according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Linguist had been the cornerbacks coach at A&M. He had previously coached under P.J. Fleck at the University of Minnesota. Mike McCarthy continues to flesh out his inaugural Cowboys staff.
Cowboys Want Stan Drayton As RBs Coach
- Cleveland is the only team with a head-coaching vacancy, but the dust has yet to settle for plenty of assistant coaches. There are still a lot of openings around the league, and it looks like a bidding war is brewing between the Rams and Cowboys. Both Los Angeles and Dallas are fighting to make Stan Drayton their next running backs coach, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter link). Drayton is currently the run-game coordinator at Texas. Brandt notes that Drayton coached Ezekiel Elliott at Ohio State, which explains the Cowboys’ interest. It’ll be interesting to see whether he picks Sean McVay or Mike McCarthy.
Cowboys’ Jeff Heath Undergoes Surgery
On Friday, Cowboys safety Jeff Heath underwent surgery on his left shoulder, sources tell ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). Heath dealt with pain in both shoulders throughout the year and he may still require an operation on the other side. 
Somehow, the shoulder trouble did not interrupt his streak of starting in the last 44 games he has played. He finished 2019 with 59 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, and seven passes defensed in 13 appearances.
Heath will look to heal up as soon as possible, especially since this is a pivotal offseason for him. He’s due to reach unrestricted free agency in March, where he’ll look to secure a pay bump over the four-year, $7.761MM extension he signed with the Cowboys back in 2016. Last time around, he was a restricted free agent who spent the previous two years largely relegated to special teams. Now, with three straight years as a starter, he has a case for a better deal.
Top free agent safeties this offseason include Justin Simmons (Broncos), Devin McCourty (Patriots), Anthony Harris (Vikings), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Bears), and Tre Boston (Panthers).
Latest On Cowboys Coaching Staff
- Texas associate head coach and run game coordinator Stan Drayton was scheduled to meet with the Cowboys today, as ESPN’s Todd Archer passes along. Drayton does have a connection to the offense, as he coached Ezekiel Elliott back at Ohio State. The 48-year-old also previously served as the Bears running back coach. Archer adds that running backs coach Gary Brown could still return to the organization.
Cowboys To Give McCarthy Increased Power
Mike McCarthy being hired so soon points to the Cowboys being confident he will coax more from their talented roster than Jason Garrett did, and ownership looks set to give its new HC more power. McCarthy will not only have greater input on roster decisions than he did in Green Bay but will hold as much influence in this area as Bill Parcells did three coaches ago in Dallas, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News and Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). It was not a secret McCarthy and ex-Packers GM Ted Thompson did not see eye to eye on the latter’s aversion to free agency additions, so it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys proceed now that McCarthy will possess greater influence than Jason Garrett or Wade Phillips did on this front.
- Jerry and Stephen Jones kept Garrett in the loop on their plans, notifying the since-displaced head coach they planned to interview McCarthy. “[Jason] said, ‘You’re not going to meet anybody more special than Mike. I love his story, I love him. he’s great,’” Jones said. Attempting to explain the delay in parting ways with Garrett, Jerry Jones said he sought a “soft landing” for his 10-season HC. Stephen Jones said the Cowboys’ deliberate actions were “in line with what Jason wanted.”
- The Cowboys only interviewed McCarthy and Marvin Lewis for their coaching job. No other interviews were scheduled, Werder tweets.
Cowboys Expected To Hire Joe Philbin
Mike McCarthy and Joe Philbin are on the verge of reuniting on the Dallas staff. The Cowboys are expected to hire the longtime Packers assistant and former Dolphins head coach as their offensive line coach, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Although Philbin did not coach this season, he spent 10 years with the Packers. Seven of those came under McCarthy. Philbin’s most recent Packers stint concluded as the team’s interim head coach, after McCarthy was fired in early December of last season.
Green Bay’s offensive coordinator from 2007-11, Philbin oversaw Brett Favre‘s resurgent 2007 showing and Aaron Rodgers‘ subsequent growth into a superstar. Following Philbin’s three-plus-season Dolphins stay, he coached the Colts’ O-line from 2016-17 and returned as Packers OC to start the ’18 season.
Philbin, 58, will replace Marc Colombo. The former Cowboys lineman took over for the fired Paul Alexander midway through the 2018 season. Ezekiel Elliott led the NFL in rushing that year, doing so despite Travis Frederick‘s season-long absence. Although Colombo’s contract runs through 2021, Archer adds he will not stay with the Cowboys. Dallas’ Pro Bowler-laden O-line ranked second in adjusted line yards and in pass protection, according to Football Outsiders.
Philbin’s anticipated hire will give the Cowboys three assistant coaches who once served as HCs. The Cowboys are bringing in ex-49ers coach Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator and fellow ex-San Francisco HC Jim Tomsula as D-line coach.