Cowboys add familiar name to list in coaching search with Kellen Moore, AP source says

The Dallas Cowboys have requested permission to interview Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in their search to replace Mike McCarthy, a person with knowledge of the team's plans said Thursday.

The Cowboys also are planning to interview two former NFL head coaches in Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier, the person told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team isn't commenting publicly on plans for interviews.

Moore has a long history with the Cowboys, including four seasons as Dak Prescott's play-caller. Three of those were after McCarthy was hired in 2020. The Cowboys and McCarthy parted ways this week after five seasons.

The Cowboys can meet virtually with Moore before the Eagles' season is over, with limits on the amount of time. The NFC East champions play the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round at home Sunday.

“(I) have plenty of relationships in that place,” Moore said Tuesday. “I’ve had so much fun here. It’s been a really fun process, and we’re in a really special situation right now, getting the chance to play this Sunday, having a chance to make a run at this thing, and that’s really all you worry about. Everything else is what it is, and we’ll see where it takes you.”

Saleh was fired by the New York Jets in October, five games into his fourth season after a successful stint as the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. The 49ers have interviewed him for a return to that position.

Frazier just finished his first season as the assistant head coach on Mike Macdonald's staff in Seattle. Frazier spent three full seasons as coach of the Minnesota Vikings after taking over with six games remaining in the 2010 season.

Like Saleh, Frazier comes from a defensive background. After getting fired by the Vikings, he was the defensive coordinator in Tampa Bay and Buffalo.

Moore joined the Cowboys as a quarterback in 2015 and was Prescott's backup in 2017 before retiring as a player and immediately becoming his position coach. Just a year later, Moore took over the play-calling for former coach Jason Garrett's final season in 2019.

McCarthy called plays for most of his long tenure in Green Bay, which included a Super Bowl title during the 2010 season, but decided to keep Moore in that role. Moore and the Cowboys parted ways in 2023, and McCarthy took over as the play-caller.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has spoken informally with Colorado coach Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback who spent five seasons with the Cowboys. Sanders helped them win the last of the franchise's five Super Bowl titles to cap the 1995 season.

Jason Witten, an 11-time Pro Bowl tight end who holds numerous career records with the Cowboys, has been mentioned as a potential candidate. He's the head coach of a private high school in the Dallas area.

Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn could be another candidate for the Cowboys. The former Texas A&M player spent two seasons with the Cowboys late in his 15-year career. The Lions are the top seed in the NFC and play Washington at home in the divisional round Saturday.

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