New Cowboys coach better be prepared to look over his shoulder

Jerry Jones loves to create unnecessary drama.

Jason Witten / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the primary reasons we study history is to avoid repeating it. Perhaps Jerry Jones needs to be reminded of this because he could be doing the same thing he did when he hired Wade Phillips as the Dallas Cowboys head coach in 2007.

Phillips was chosen to replace Bill Parcells, giving them an experienced head coach with a defensive background. The problem was Phillips was only hired after Jones added Jason Garrett to the staff.

Jones eyed Garrett as the heir apparent to Phillips, who was fired during the 2010 season. That ended the two-plus years of speculation regarding his job security,

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Fast-forward 18 years and Jones could be putting his unnamed coach in the same position. According to Ed Werder, Jones is expected to add Jason Witten to the staff in some capacity, with the intention of him learning to be a head coach.

I believe there is a very high probability that, depending upon whom is hired as head coach, that Jason Witten will be included in the staff.

There were scenarios discussed with Mike McCarthy when he was hired where that could have happened but McCarthy was understandably…

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) January 16, 2025

Witten, who has won a state championship the past two seasons in high school football, has been seen as a dark horse head coaching candidate — much in the way Garrett was in 2007.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) talks to owner Jerry Jones after returning to camp after jury duty during minicamp / Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Jones is also on record saying he expects Witten to be an excellent coach, claiming he could be their version of Dan Campbell. He even tried to retain Mike McCarthy with the intention of adding Witten — who would one day take his job.

Perhaps it works out this time and it’s not a distraction. But it’s hard to see how a new coach won’t be looking over his shoulder if Jones forces one of his favorite people onto their staff.

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