Coaching staff changes looming for Dallas Cowboys?

The Dallas Cowboys have had a fairly stable - some might say, unusually stable - coaching staff for the last four to five years. One reason for that are the stellar 2014 and 2016 seasons, after which the Cowboys didn't see much need for change. But interspersed between those two standout seasons are two disappointing seasons in 2015 and 2017 that have got to have the front office wondering if coaching continuity is the right approach.

Here's an overview of the current coaching staff, with each coach's tenure with the team indicated behind his name.

If you look at the numbers closely, you'll see that most of the coaches have been with the team since at least 2014, and many of them span almost the entire Garrett head coaching era. The only two “newcomers” are safeties coach Greg Jackson, who joined the team in 2016 and was previously the secondary coach in Michigan, along with Steve Loney, who started coaching the tight ends this year but has been with the Cowboys since 2015.

Continuity is not a bad thing per se. Considering that the staff spends upwards of 70 hours a week working closely together, the team might place a premium on compatibility over quality; it's more important that they get along than that they all be super great.

Plus, there are no obvious bad eggs in this bunch; Bill Callahan is doing is thing in Washington, Rob Ryan is doing his thing in God knows where.

But continuity could mean the Cowboys are overdue for a shake-up in their coaching staff, at least for some of the position coaching roles, and especially considering the team's disappointing performance this year. And for a team that likes to use the word accountability a lot, it'll be interesting to see who'll be held accountable for 2017.

The Cowboys have lots of questions to ponder as they head into the offseason.

What happened to the receiving game? Did Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams just suddenly grow old, and did Cole Beasley lose all ability to separate in just one year? Those are questions Derek Dooley will likely have to answer.

Playing with perhaps the most pedigreed offensive line in football (four first-round picks, one almost first-round pick), how come the line looked middling at best in pass protection all year, Frank Pollack?

Despite ample warning of Ezekiel Elliott's likely suspension, why was the offense completely unprepared for his absence? That one has got to fall on Scott Linehan's shoulders.

Dak Prescott may be more mature, may read defenses better, and may show even better leadership skills in his second year, but his play has clearly regressed. That has got to be at least partly on Wade Wilson, and one has to wonder whether bringing Mark Sanchez back as the Dak-Whisperer may have been more important to Dak's development than keeping Wilson.

If your defense goes belly-up every time Sean Lee is out, your defense may not be constructed the right way. How are we going to fix this issue next year, Rod Marinelli?

Lots of questions, so here's one more for you: which 2017 assistant coaches do you think should start updating their resumes?