Cowboys about to lose another coach? Raiders eying assistant Gary Brown

Dallas Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown interviewed with the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, raising the possibility that the team could lose another coach, according to sources.

Wide receivers coach Derek Dooley, tight ends coach Steve Loney, quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, special teams coach Rich Bisaccia and secondary coach Joe Baker have all exited since the end of the 2017 season.

Dooley, Wilson, and Baker had expiring contracts and weren’t offered new deals. Loney retired. Bisaccia was allowed to leave and join new Raiders coach John Gruden in Oakland. Gruden gave Bisaccia his first NFL job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.

But Brown, who also has an expiring contract, was someone the Cowboys wanted to bring back after his success with the team’s running backs through the years, but especially in 2017 when star running back Ezekiel Elliott missed six games due to an NFL suspension.

Brown oversaw the development of young running back Rod Smith and re-emergence of veteran Alfred Morris as the Cowboys still finished with the league’s third-best running game, averaging 135.6 yards per game.

Brown has been with the Cowboys since 2013 has had running backs win two NFL rushing titles, DeMarco Murray with 1,845 yards in 2014 and Elliott with 1,631 yards in 2017.

He also coaxed a 1,000-yard season out of Darren McFadden in just 10 starts in 2015.

The Cowboys have made overtures regarding a new deal for Brown, but nothing formal has been done, setting the stage for Gruden trying to entice him to Oakland.

Staying in Dallas with a young Elliott would seem more appealing than a similar position with the Raiders and the prospects of dealing with an aging Marshawn Lynch.

But this is also about career advancement and it would be a setback for the Cowboys staff if they lose Brown.

Brown, a former eight-year NFL veteran, coached with the Cleveland Browns for three years from 2009-2012 before coming to Dallas.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Cowboys about to lose another coach? Raiders eying assistant Gary Brown."