Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will not attend the scouting combine

The Dallas Cowboys' head coach and defensive coordinator will reportedly not attend this year's NFL Scouting Combine. ESPN's Dallas Cowboys correspondent Todd Archer wrote that Mike McCarthy and Mike Zimmer will remain in the Star frame while the rest of the team gathers to discuss plans and strategy.

McCarthy said it made more sense to remain at The Star given his workload and time efficiency.

“Jim and I are going to spend a whole week here together and cover a lot of things that we're working on,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy and Zimmer will continue to interview prospects remotely via video calls and review tape of players' workouts during the combine.

“At the same time, we will still be able to participate in the combine process and have direct contact through video calls and meetings, while also having our coaches on-site.”

This is the second year in a row that McCarthy has chosen not to attend the combine. Last year, McCarthy opted to return to Dallas during the combine while he strategized a new offensive scheme and prepared to take over play-calling duties. He traveled to meet with the media later in the week of the combine, but returned to Dallas immediately to continue preparing his plans.

In the two seasons in which Coach McCarthy chose to stay home during the combine, the Cowboys went 12-5 and finished fourth in points in 2022 and first last year. The process is the same for McCarthy this year, but this time the motivation appears to be building a defense plan.