Cowboys Hire Former Vikings Defensive Coordinator George Edwards

Mike McCarthy has been busy filling out his coaching staff, with experience seeming to be the main goal.

Now, nearly 20 years after his first stint with the team, George Edwards is re-joining the Dallas Cowboys as their linebackers coach. And he brings with him plenty of that experience.

https://twitter.com/clarencehilljr/status/1220723345139884034

Edwards has been a defensive coach in the league since 1998, including three stints at defensive coordinator with the Redskins, Bills, and Vikings. Most recently he oversaw the Vikings defense, and had been in that role since 2014. He was not retained this offseason, however, allowing him to return to the first place he ever coached in the NFL.

Dallas’ linebackers were a hot topic this season. Thought to be one of the league’s deepest units heading into the season, struggles from Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch severely hindered all of that prior hype.

Still, both Vander Esch and Smith are immensely talented, and could potentially improve exponentially under George Edwards’ tutelage.

Edwards will reportedly have a larger role than just coaching the linebackers, so it should be interesting to see how he and Mike Nolan work together to coordinate the defense. Regardless, this Cowboys defensive staff is shaping up to be a good one, backed by a plethora of NFL coaching experience.