Cowboys fire defensive coordinator Mike Nolan after one season

Mike Nolan has taken the fall for the Dallas Cowboys’ underwhelming season.

As first reported by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, the Cowboys have fired Nolan, their defensive coordinator, after one season in the job.

If anyone was going to lose their job over the team’s lack of success in 2020, it was probably going to be Nolan. The team’s defense was historically bad, and Jerry Jones even admitted that bringing Nolan in and overhauling the team’s scheme in one offseason was a preventable mistake.

Despite their terrible season, the Cowboys actually went into Week 17 with a chance to make the playoffs, but a home loss to the New York Giants ended that.

Nolan is an experienced defensive assistant in the NFL and should have no trouble finding a new job. However, his schemes have been criticized, and that seemed to be a major criticism in 2020 as the Cowboys were repeatedly beaten up by opposing offenses. Whatever happened, this hire simply didn’t work, and they’re cutting bait immediately.