Newly-hired head coach Mike McCarthy is moving fast on hiring a coaching staff. And he hasn't even been officially introduced just yet.
While his opening press conference will be Wednesday at 3pm, McCarthy has already locked up his coordinator positions and added a veteran line coach.
One of coordinators won't be new as Kellen Moore is expected to return to the staff for a second year.
McCarthy will likely name veteran coach John Fassel as his special teams coordinator and Jim Tomsula will be the defensive line coach.
Earlier this week, McCarthy added Mike Nolan as the defensive coordinator.
Obviously, that likely means the team is moving on from Keith O'Quinn as special teams coordinator and Rod Marinelli, who was the defensive coordinator and D-line coach. The contracts of both O'Quinn and Marinelli were expiring.
While Moore will be retained, he might not be the play-caller as McCarthy has called plays for most of his career.
Moore called plays in 2019 for the Cowboys, who not only ranked first in total offense, but saw Dak Prescott pass for 4,903 yards along with Ezekiel Elliott rushing for 1,357 yards and both Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup surpassing 1,000 receiving yards.
Recently, Moore was linked to the University of Washington offensive coordinator job but he apparently decided to return for a second year in Dallas under McCarthy.
Fassel comes to Dallas having just finished his 15th year in the NFL — all of them as a special teams coach. He got his start in 2005 with Baltimore and also spent two years with the Oakland Raiders. But he has spent the vast majority of his NFL career with the Rams, where he served as the special teams coordinator from 2012 until the end of the 2019 season.
Fassel has grown into one of the most highly-regarded special teams coaches in the NFL during that time, as his units have consistently finished top 10 in the league during his tenure. Fassel was also instrumental in developing the Rams' specialist trio of Greg Zuerlein, Johnny Hekker and Jake McQuaide, who have combined for seven Pro Bowl appearances.
Tomsula has coached Washington's defensive line for the past three seasons – a perennially talented group that has presented challenges for the Cowboys' decorated offensive line.
The 51-year-old has coached in the NFL since 2007, including nine seasons in San Francisco. He coached the 49ers' defensive line from 2007-14, including the club's NFC championship season in 2012. In 2015 the 49ers promoted him to head coach for one season, replacing Jim Harbaugh.
