IRVING, Texas – At least one member of the Cowboys' 2014 coaching staff won't be staying on, as Bill Callahan accepted a position with the Washington Redskins on Thursday.
Callahan coached for three years in Dallas, serving as both the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach. He called plays for the Cowboys' offense in his first season, before ceding that role to Scott Linehan in 2014.
"Bill has a great opportunity in Washington, and he's going to take advantage of that. He really did a fantastic job for us over the last three years," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. "You've heard me say this many times: He's as good a line coach as I've ever been around, and he's as good a football coach as I've ever been around."
Plenty of credit is due to Callahan for helping to develop the Cowboys' lauded offensive line. He arrived for the 2012 season, when Tyron Smith moved to left tackle, and he was the offensive line coach when the team drafted both Travis Frederick and Zack Martin.
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With Callahan departing, Garrett said he has opted to promote Frank Pollack, who was Callahan's assistant offensive line coach in 2013 and 2014.
"I think the continuity that we'll have at the offensive line position will be really good for our team," Garrett said. "Frank was a big contributor over the last couple of years with that group and the development of that group both individually and collectively, so we feel really good about that."
Pollack will have an assistant offensive line coach to help him in his first season in charge of the unit, but Garrett said he has yet to determine who it will be. One possibility is that former Cowboys offensive tackle Marc Colombo, who worked in the personnel department this season, could sign on.
Garrett declined to speculate on that, but he said Colombo will remain in the fold going forward.
"You want Colombo on your side. We'll figure out what to do with him, y'know? He's fantastic," Garrett said. "He really embraced his role in personnel and helped our team. We'll work through a lot of different discussions regarding the assistant O-Line position."
Callahan reportedly signed a three-year contract to handle offensive line duties in Washington. This will mark the second-straight offseason the Cowboys have lost staff members to the Redskins. Tight ends coach Wes Phillips took a job in D.C. at this time last year, opening the door for Garrett to hire Mike Pope. Then-Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jason Hatcher also accepted a contract with Washington last March.
