FRISCO, Texas – It's a strange thought, but Mike McCarthy is currently in the same boat as everyone else in regard to his coaching staff: watching and waiting.
The Cowboys' second-year head coach wrapped up his player exit interviews on Wednesday afternoon. Having met with all the members of his roster, he said the next round of sit downs will be with his coaching staff.
Of course, there's one important caveat. As of right now, with both Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn in the midst of numerous NFL head coaching interviews, McCarthy isn't completely sure what his coaching staff even looks like.
"That's part of it. That's part of working here," he said Wednesday. "It's an attractive place with a very good football team. With that, I think opportunity, the movement is higher than ever before."
Moore and Quinn are two of the most-discussed assistants in this year's hiring cycle. Quinn, a former head coach, revitalized a woeful Dallas defense and turned the unit into one of the biggest success stories of the 2021 season. Moore, in his third season as Cowboys offensive coordinator, oversaw a group that led the league in scoring.
"I think just the way they operate, positive personalities, I think they both emulate that on a daily basis," McCarthy said. "Expertise, what they bring to the table. They have the ability to bring people together, so I think they have a lot of common characteristics."
This hasn't exactly been a common experience for the Cowboys in recent years. McCarthy has dealt with the loss of coordinators like Joe Philbin and Ben McAdoo during his time in Green Bay, but most of the Cowboys' major coaching moves in the last decade have been made by them.
The wait will probably last a while longer. Quinn and Moore both reportedly interviewed with the Denver Broncos earlier this week. Quinn has also interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings, while Moore interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Both coaches have more scheduled in the coming days.
McCarthy said he's keeping an open line of communication with both coaches as they go through this process.
"I know I'm the head coach, but we also have personal relationships, too," he said. "I think any time you can share experiences with your coaches. Even Dan, Dan and I talk a lot about past experiences. Kellen is going through it for the first time. Yeah, I'm in tune with what's going on."
Regardless of whether or not coaches are interviewing, McCarthy noted the importance of being with his staff. The aim is to always have a contingency plan in place. No one can predict the future, but the Cowboys should know if they'll need to use theirs in the coming weeks.
