Report: George Edwards finally taking lead in coaching Cowboys LBs

One of the biggest disappointments of the 2020 season was the play of the linebackers in Dallas. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan came in as a supposed linebacker specialist, having coached them for several seasons in New Orleans. However his best-laid plans were silenced when Leighton Vander Esch was lost for multiple weeks in the season opener and everything the club worked on in the truncated offseason was thrown away, moving Jaylon Smith back to the Mike. A season of ineptitude followed and Nolan was replaced by Dan Quinn in the offseason.

Now, the 2021 rookie minicamp is underway and the majority of eyes are back on the defense as the club added eight defenders with their eleven selections in an attempt to improve their bottom-five returns from a year ago. Quinn is focused on the defensive line as his specialty and now the LBs have a new leader as well. George Edwards is now in charge according to the Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr.

Edwards joined the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy’s staff during the 2020 offseason, when he was brought in to be a senior defensive assistant.

Edwards is no stranger to coaching defense, and more specifically linebackers, at the NFL level. In fact, this isn’t even Edwards first stint as the Cowboys linebacker coach, as he manned the role for Dallas from 1998 through 2001.

Edwards was an All-ACC honorable mention linebacker while at Duke University in 1989. The former Blue-Devil quickly found his way into coaching. In total, Edwards has 22 years of NFL experience and 13 of those seasons featured Edwards in a linebacker coach role.

The Cowboys linebacker room is full of young players that will be pivotal to Dallas’ success over the next few seasons. It is crucial that the Cowboys have the right coach working with the likes of Micah Parsons, Jabril Cox, and even Leighton Vander Esch, who is still on his rookie contract. Edwards’ experience could be vital in helping these talented players reach their potential.

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