After the Cowboys’ slow start, there was speculation about the job security of Jason Garrett. Garrett remains in charge, but one of his top lieutenants is no longer with the team. On Monday afternoon, the Cowboys sacked offensive line coach Paul Alexander, according to a team announcement.
Alexander spent 27 season with the Bengals before becoming the Cowboys’ OL coach this year. Less than halfway into the year, he’s out of a job.
The Cowboys gave Alexander the keys to one of the league’s most talented offensive lines, but the unit took a major hit when Travis Frederick was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. Without Frederick, the offensive line has been inconsistent and unable to provide adequate pocket protection for quarterback Dak Prescott. Apparently, the Cowboys believe that Alexander’s direction and blocking schemes are at least partly to blame for the front five’s struggles.
Already, Prescott has been sacked 23 times, which is tied for fifth-most in the NFL. Last year, he was sacked 32 times all year and was brought down in the backfield just 25 times as a rookie in 2016.
Marc Colombo, who has served as the team’s assistant offensive line coach since 2016, will serve as the team’s primary offensive line coach. If Colombo can’t get the O-Line back on track, more heads could roll in Dallas.