Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy says Senior Bowl set up no longer benefits coaches
The Dallas Cowboys have a long history of not only scouting players at the Senior Bowl but also drafting them.
They have drafted a player who participated in the Senior Bowl every year since 2013. The game represents the unofficial start to draft season.
But when Senior Bowl practices start Tuesday in Mobile, Ala., the Cowboys coaching staff will not be in attendance. New coach Mike McCarthy and his staff are going to skip all practices and the game itself.
A full contingent of scouts and front office personnel, including owner Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones, are expected to be in attendance.
McCarthy will use the time to evaluate the Cowboys roster and add the final pieces to his staff.
He also doesn’t think the practice set up benefits the coaches. They will get their evaluations from the scouts and the video.
“I just think the Senior Bowl has changed,” McCarthy said. “I know as a young coach -- particularly coaching quarterbacks, for an offensive coordinator -- when you were able to get on the practice field and stand right next to those guys, I thought the evaluation was significant. To be that close and interact on that level was a lot different than sitting up in the stands. I think now, because they practice at the stadium -- and the video has improved too in the last five, 10 years. So I just don’t see the value of taking the staff, especially in Year 1. I mean, Year 1 we have a lot of work to do.”
The Cowboys currently have six picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, including 17th overall in the first round.
Among the Cowboys draft picks who have played in the Senior Bowl are quarterback Dak Prescott, guard Zack Martin, receiver Michael Gallup, running back Tony Pollard and cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis.
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
