Examining the Impact of Recent Coaching Departures on the Dallas Cowboys’ Strategy and Future
FRISCO, Texas — The recent departure of Mike McCarthy is having a ripple effect as the Dallas Cowboys search for a new head coach while their list of assistant and position coaches also remain unsigned, their contracts having expired on Jan. 14, and Al Harris has become the latest to exit the organization.
Harris has agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears to join them as their passing game coordinator for 2025 and beyond, tapped by incoming head coach Ben Johnson, returning to the familiar confines of the NFC North where he spent eight seasons of his All-Pro and Pro Bowl career with the Green Bay Packers.
The deal is to currently being finalized, barring an unexpected turn of events.
As a matter of reference, Johnson and Harris were both members of the Dolphins’ coaching staff in 2012.
Having spent the last several seasons developing talent such as Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland in Dallas — two record-setting All-Pro cornerbacks — along with helping to elevate Jourdan Lewis to an All-Pro level in 2024, Harris is one of the most well-respected up-and-coming young football minds who has successfully converted his former high level of NFL play into an ability to coach at the professional level.
He earned a promotion under McCarthy to assistant head coach in 2024, after having served as defensive backs coach from 2020 through the 2023 season, also retaining the latter responsibilities under Mike Zimmer, who served as defensive coordinator for the Cowboys this past season.
Harris leaves quite the sizable void that must now be filled, and quickly, by Dallas.
Other notable departures include John “Bones” Fassel and Robert Prince to the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins within the same roles, respectively, and a fourth has reportedly exited as well, namely assistant special teams coach Rayna Stewart joining Fassel in Tennessee. Prince joined the Cowboys in 2022 and aided CeeDee Lamb in becoming a record-setting wideout, along with the development of Jalen Tolbert and others, while Fassel remains arguably the best coordinator in football on that side of the ball.
The rebuilding of the coaching staff in Dallas has officially begun, as the race for head coach nears its conclusion.
Keywords: Al Harris, Dallas Cowboys, coaching departures, NFL, team strategy
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