Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and DC Mike Zimmer are reportedly avoiding the NFL combine.

With so little time, and so much to do, Mike McCarthy announced that both he and Mike Zimmer won’t be in Indianapolis when the NFL scouting combine takes place next week.

The Dallas Cowboys head coach informed ESPN of his decision on Friday, and explained that Zimmer, who was just hired as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, will remain at The Star, the team’s practice facility in Frisco, Texas. In addition to changing the scheme, both men want to continue setting the staff, ESPN reported.

Zim and I will have a full week together here and cover a lot of ground with things we’re working on,” McCarthy told ESPN. “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 will, however, still meet with and interview prospective players over the computer. This venture isn’t new to McCarthy, because he effectively skipped the combine last year, too.

He believed his time was best used staying back, because he was preparing to be Dallas’ play-caller for the first time since being hired as head coach.

He briefly flew into Indy to talk to reporters in 2023, but returned back to base to continue the work on revamping the offense. If Cowboys fans are looking for a sign of what’s potentially to come for the defense, look no further than Dallas finishing with the league’s top-scoring offense (509 points) in 2023