Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has just made a decision to skip NFL Combine, and he’s explained his reasons

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The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff seemingly have better things to do than get an up close and personal look at the top NFL prospects.

For a second successive year, Mike McCarthy will not be attending the combine, which runs until March 4.

The Dallas Cowboys have the #24 pick in the NFL Draft in April.

Why the Cowboys are skipping the combine

From an outsider’s perspective, it’d seem logical that you’d want to get a first-hand look at how potential draft picks handle the rigours of the combine.

McCarthy says he and new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer have more important things to think about.

“Zim and I will have a full week together here and cover a lot of ground with things we’re working on,” McCarthy said.

“At the same time, we can still participate in the combine process and have direct contact through video calls and meetings while having our coaches on the ground there as well.”

McCarthy and Zimmer continue to set the staff and changes for their 2024 defensive scheme.

A year ago, McCarthy didn’t attend due to changes to the team’s offensive setup entering his first year as the play-caller.

He flew to Indianapolis for a few hours to meet with the media.

In 2023, the Cowboys led the NFL in points scored with 509.

Another big name NFL coach who often skip the combine

McCarthy isn’t the only NFL coach who skips the combine occasionally.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay regularly misses those sessions.

That trend for the Super Bowl-winning coach dates back to 2020.

“As it relates to just the evaluation, the tape is the best guide,” says McVay.

“The most important thing is what the tape looks like,” McVay said, “and then what is the vetting and the human being.”

The winning argument

If there is a winning argument for McCarthy and McVay skipping the combine, it’s simple.

The Cowboys have made the playoffs in three successive seasons, with the Rams making it on two of the past three occasions.

LA won the Super Bowl during the 2021 campaign.

McVay’s recent draft picks have developed into elite NFL players despite him skipping the combine.

Kyren Williams was selected in the fifth round by LA in 2022, making his first Pro Bowl a year later.

The Rams nabbed one of the biggest rookie sensations in round five last year in Second-team All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua.

Nacua finished fourth in receiving yards this season, setting NFL rookie records for receptions (105), receptions in a game (15), receiving yards (1,486) and receiving yards in a playoff game (181).

The losing argument

The Cowboys got DaRon Bland, Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tobert in the later rounds in 2022.

Bland and Ferguson made the Pro Bowl for the first time this past season.

The difference is McCarthy attended the 2022 combine.

In 2023, the likes of Luke Schoonmaker, Mazi Smith and their other 2023 draft picks were rarely discussed.

It’s a complicated matter because the Cowboys aren’t in rebuilding mode at the moment.

However, as a franchise, you must always bring in young talent who can step in and make an impact.

We’ll see how good their scouting is from afar this time around.