The Cowboys will officially have a new special teams coordinator as John Fassel is headed to Tennesse.
When Mike McCarthy took over the Dallas Cowboys five years ago among the most pressing needs he was facing was to fix the special teams group. McCarthy hired John Fassel away from the Los Angeles Rams to do so, and for the most part (that first season was a bit of a ride), Fassel did just that. He identified advantages on special teams that Dallas benefited from and helped assemble a group that featured the best season of Brett Maher’s career (which was great before it wasn’t), and discovered Brandon Aubrey. Obviously he has been vital in KaVontae Turpin’s growth as well.
He will not be back with the Cowboys, who are still looking for a replacement for McCarthy. It was reported on Monday afternoon that Fassel is headed to become the special teams coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.
The #Titans are hiring John “Bones” Fassel as their special teams coordinator, per sources. A big hire for Brian Callahan. pic.twitter.com/S5m6kdjHw2
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2025
The Titans feature Tony Pollard who was at one point a returner for Fassel’s group (that didn’t go well, but it is still true). They also recently had Luke Gifford as a part of their team, someone who Fassel has worked with before, too.
Whoever is playing for Fassel next season we know it won’t be anybody with the Cowboys. It makes sense that he would find another job as he is a coveted special teams mind and obviously the Cowboys are still tending to their own situation with their staff.
All the best to John Fassel. He was great for the Cowboys.