Report: Brandon Carr was cut by Cowboys “after not jiving” with defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist

There appears to be a disconnect between Dallas Cowboys players and coaches at the moment, at least that is the perception from the outside looking in. What led to this idea?

Obviously the team’s 2-5 record is an indication that all isn’t peace and love, but there was also the anonymous report from players last week that they don’t believe the coaches know what they are doing. Considering Mike McCarthy’s comments about the Cowboys not rallying for Andy Dalton after the dirty hit from Jon Bostic against him and you’d think that things have hardly improved on the harmony front.

It’s been suggested that the Cowboys are void of leadership, although that is an assertion that Jerry Jones challenged during his Tuesday morning radio hit with 105.3 The Fan. Dallas had a number of veterans that they were looking to count on this year, and one of them was even a familiar face in Brandon Carr.

That obviously did not work out. We still don’t totally understand why, but we might know soon.

Brandon Carr was cut by the Cowboys “after not jiving” with defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist

The Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken augments a newsletter that is emailed out twice a week (it is totally free and very much worth subscribing to, you can do so right here) and in it are the occasional nuggets about the Cowboys beyond general news concerning the team. Tuesday’s edition talked about the veterans that the Cowboys signed in free agency and how there was a common thread, one that could explain the disarray the group is in, among them.

Beyond talking about the likes of Daryl Worley and Dontari Poe, the latest newsletter also mentioned Brandon Carr. Specifically it was noted by Gehlken that Carr was cut “after not jiving” with Cowboys defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist.

Good morning,

I have a developing theory as to where the Cowboys went wrong in free agency this year.

It’s less conspiracy and more common sense.

In March, the team signed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and nose tackle Dontari Poe. In late April, following the draft, they signed cornerback Daryl Worley. Those three additions were designed to provide a proven veteran presence at critical positions. Clinton-Dix and Poe entered camp as projected starters with Worley in the broader mix to compete.

Scorecard: Bust. Bust. Bust.

Clinton-Dix, whom the Cowboys fully guaranteed $2.5 million, didn’t make it out of training camp. You’ve seen this defense for seven games now. Appreciate how much of a misfire this was, how poor Clinton-Dix had to look in practice, for the coaching staff to approach the former Pro Bowler in August and say, “Nah-uh. We’re good with Xavier Woods, Darian Thompson, Donovan Wilson, rookie-on-milk-carton Reggie Robinson and whatever we can find in free agency.”

They found Brandon Carr, who was cut after not jiving with secondary coach Maurice Linguist. But that’s a separate issue. I digress.

There isn’t a lot to go off of here, but it certainly does not sound promising with regards to the team. Where do we even begin?

It must be considered that the Cowboys roster is both extremely depleted, and on top of that, extremely talent poor in the secondary. Obviously this includes the cornerback position. Brandon Carr isn’t the player that he was in his prime, but there is no question that his services could be of use. If the team was going to cut anybody “after not jiving” with a coach, why would it be him?

Think what you want to about who Carr was as a player for the Cowboys from 2012-2016, but who he is as a person has hardly ever been up for even a small debate. Carr’s charity work in the communities he has played in is well-documented, he was even the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award during his time with the club.

In what possible way could Carr have “not jived” with Maurice Linguist enough that it warranted releasing him? It’s not like he even played a ton. He barely touched the field during this latest cup of coffee.

There has been a lot of what people are referring to as “quit” when it comes to these Cowboys, and that kind of behavior certainly wouldn’t jive with what the coaching staff is asking of them. But it seems so unlikely that a player like Brandon Carr would be the type not to give maximum effort. If you want to send a message, cutting a player who isn’t going all out would be the better play, but it’s hard to believe that was the case with Carr. It would be interesting to know what “not jiving” constituted in this case.

This has been a season of weird storylines for the Cowboys. This is just the latest one.