'He Made Me,' Says Ezekiel Elliott of the Texas RB Coach Sources Say Cowboys Are Pursuing

Sources: As McCarthy Continues To Assemble his Staff, Cowboys Pursing UT's Drayton, the RB Coach 'Who Made' Ezekiel Elliott

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are targeting University of Texas associate head coach and running game coordinator Stan Drayton - who has a successful affiliation with Ezekiel Elliott - to serve as the running backs coach on Mike McCarthy's 2020 staff.

“Stan Drayton - that’s my guy,” Elliott said during an interview at the NFL Combine in 2016. “He ... made me into a great player.”

Drayton was Elliott's position coach at Ohio State and recently worked for the Chicago Bears before moving to Austin. We're told he's got a job offer from Dallas but is also being courted by at least one other NFL team.

Both Jane Slater of NFL Network and 105.3 The Fan were first to note the connection.

Drayton's decision will obviously impact the status of sitting position coach Gary Brown, who is now out of contract but is highly thought of by the Jones and is especially close to Elliott, the two-time rushing champion.

UPDATED #Cowboys Staff Tracker: Jerry Jokes Aside, New Coach #MikeMcCarthy Really Is Picking His Own Guys https://t.co/nlly1IjJtp via @fishsports pic.twitter.com/NLhtMf7L1M

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 9, 2020

The addition of Stan Drayton would add another notable name to the staff of new coach McCarthy, who has already put in place Mike Nolan to run his defense and John Fassel to run his special teams while retaining Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator, though sources continue to indicate to us that McCarthy plans to serve as his own play-caller. The O-line hire, Joe Philbin, we're told, may serve as McCarthy's assistant head coach.

Drayton once worked for the Packers but never at the same time as McCarthy. But Drayton's time in Green Bay as a quality control assistant and then as a special-teams coach from 2001–2003 is also part of his resume.