Cowboys veteran TE coach Mike Pope retires, Steve Loney takes spot

In a move that was long expected, Dallas Cowboys veteran tight end coach Mike Pope has retired and will be placed by senior offensive assistant Steve Loney.

Pope, who turns 75 this month, has been with the Cowboys the past three years, but he has coached in the NFL for the past 34 years. He was with the New York Giants for 14 seasons before joining the Cowboys.

Loney has spent the bulk of his coaching career with the offensive line. He hasn't coached tight ends since college. He had a brief internship for his current role during the Senior Bowl last year when the Cowboys staff coached the North Team.

Pope missed the week of practices and the game to deal with a personal issue. Loney proved to be a capable fill in.

Now it's his full-time job.

Looney joined the Cowboys in 2015 as assistant offensive line coach before moving to senior offensive assistant last season. He has 13 years of experience in the NFL, including the stints with the Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings, the Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Cowboys veteran TE coach Mike Pope retires, Steve Loney takes spot."