On the heels of Dave Campo’s confirmation that he would not be back, he Dallas Cowboys announced several coaching moves late Tuesday. The club announced that offensive line coach Hudson Houck will retire after 29 years in the NFL and a coaching career that dates back to the ’60s.
Houck was with Dallas for nine years from 1993-2001, winning two Super Bowls. He returned to Jason Garrett’s staff in 2008 to replace Tony Sparano. He participated in the decision to draft Tyron Smith high in the first round last April and coached the rookie to a quality season, but the rest of the line – including 2010 standout Doug Free – struggled.
Houck will be replaced by former Raiders and University of Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan. He led Oakland to the Super Bowl in 2002, his first season has head coach after four as offensive coordinator. He has spent the past four years as assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the New York Jets. His experience as a play-caller could come in handy if Garrett decides to focus more on his head coaching duties during the season.
The Cowboys also made a defensive secondary hire to replace Dave Campo, as Jerome Henderson will reportedly join the club in the same role. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan got his wish in replacing Campo with one of “his” guys. Henderson coached under Ryan in Cleveland in 2009 and 2010 and was the secondary coach for the Jets in 2008.
Henderson, 42, was a second round pick in 1991 and played with the Patriots, Bills, Eagles and Jets in an eight-year NFL career. The Cowboys would apparently like to retain defensive secondary assistant Brett Maxie, but he’s out of a contract and has an interview lined up with Tennessee this week.