Will Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy back surgery impact installation of new offense?
An offseason of change for the Dallas Cowboys has already suffered a minor setback.
Head coach Mike McCarthy, who is taking over play-calling duties and altering the offense after parting ways with offseason coordinator Kellen Moore, is out indefinitely due to recent back surgery.
McCarthy has been dealing with back issues for some time.
But he has been involved with the team virtually and was part of the introduction to the rookies before last weekend’s rookie minicamp. There is no timetable for his return to the field.
The rookies and veterans will work together for the first time Monday in Phase 2 of the offseason program. Organized team activities start with six practices on May 22-23, May 25, May 30 and June 1-2 with minicamp slated to be held June 6-8.
“He’s been on Zoom calls with us,” said linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, picked in the third-round of the 2023 NFL Draft. “We know what he’s going through and that he’s going to be back soon. He’s definitely been there, welcomed us like we were a vet.”
Owner Jerry Jones spoke to players on the field to open rookie minicamp.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and special teams coordinator John Fassel led the on-field work.
“It’s easy because Mike is always so clear and, ‘hey, this is what we’re going to do,’ so we had a real vision for what we wanted to get accomplished this weekend with these guys,” Quinn said. “It’s mainly just taking those first steps and I think Mike would agree let’s not miss one step of their development and see what we have and how we communicate and testing them and seeing where we are at. And then we’ll begin with Mike and everybody else here this week of merging everybody together. So if there was a time to miss for him, there’s never a time he would feel comfortable but we all know we got his back and we’ll get him back soon.”
Quinn served as the Cowboys’ head coach in 2021 for one game against the New Orleans Saints when McCarthy was sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19.
While Schottenheimer acknowledged that the installation of a new offense has been a grind during the offseason, the bulk of the work was done before McCarthy was sidelined with the back procedure.
The focus now is getting prepared for installation during OTAs.
“In terms of the process, we’re getting organized for OTAs,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re 12 concept-teach days in and then when we get into OTAs, we’ll get into install with those specific formations and we’ll tweak those before we get to training camp.”
Schottenheimer made it clear that the Cowboys are not trying re-invent the wheel on offense and he’s looking forward to working quarterback Dak Prescott after competing against him in the past.
“It’s been a grind, it’s been fun,” Schottenheimer said. “The system is not broken, they’ve won a lot of games here and scored a lot of points.”
“I’ve always admired him from afar,” he said of Prescott. “Competed against him many times. I love the man, I love the work ethic. He’s a tireless preparer. The way guys follow him, the way he wants to be coached, the way he wants to be open-minded from a fundamental standpoint, things like that. That shows you the sign of a true winner and a champion.”
This story was originally published May 15, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
