Dallas Cowboys: 5 Potential replacements for Jason Garrett’s increasingly hot seat
By Randy Gurzi
4. Teryl Austin – Secondary coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
For years, the name Teryl Austin keeps popping up as a potential head coaching candidate and in 2018, he was reportedly one of the finalists for the Detroit Lions job but then pulled his name from the list.
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He’s come close to calling his interviews frustrating as he has hinted that some of the interviews he has had were done only to satisfy the Rooney Rule. In fact, he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that only a couple of his interviews were “legitimate” and added that he knows he can do the job.
"“I wouldn’t call it frustrating, ’cause it’s really an honor to be interviewed,” Austin said about his interviews via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But I know I’m ready for a job. Somebody’s going to figure it out; that’s how I look at it.”"
Currently, Austin is the assistant defensive and secondary coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This season, the Steelers secondary has been improved over the past year and as a team, they have eight interceptions — compared to just two for Dallas.
While not all the picks have come from his defensive backs, Austin is helping coach the entire defense and has a track record of success wherever he goes. Bringing in a guy with a fresh perspective on defense could be beneficial for Dallas considering they have some big stars but not many big plays.