IRVING, Texas – While special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia interviewed for three head coaching positions in the last few weeks, he not only remains on the Cowboys' staff, but now has a new assistant.
Keith O'Quinn, who spent the last four years on the staff as an offensive assistant and quality control coach, is expected to become the Cowboys' new assistant special teams coach. He will replace Chris Boniol, the former Cowboys kicker who had the role for the last four years.
While O'Quinn won't bring the kicking expertise of Boniol, whose contract expired after the season and has since taken a job with the Raiders, he does have plenty of experience on this staff. Last year, he worked with the wide receivers under position coach Derek Dooley. O'Quinn played a big role in the development of young receivers Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley and Dwayne Harris.
O'Quinn actually joined the Cowboys in the scouting department from 2006-08 on the pro side. He left for Cleveland in 2009 to become the Browns' director of pro personnel for one season. He came back to the Cowboys' staff in 2010.
A former college safety at North Texas, O'Quinn was a college coach for five years in the Abilene area at both Hardin-Simmons and Abilene [embedded_ad] Christian.
Bisaccia, who interviewed for coaching vacancies in Washington, Tennessee and Cleveland, also worked with Carlos Polk last year. Polk, a former linebacker, figured to be the assistant special teams coach back in late January, even telling reporters at the Senior Bowl that he expected to get the job. But a few days later, Polk took the same position in Tampa Bay.
The Cowboys have interviewed a few candidates for the position but eventually went with O'Quinn.
His duties as assistant receivers coach will likely go to newly-hired Kyle Valero, who spent the last four years in Detroit as an offensive assistant, working with Scott Linehan, who is now the Cowboys' passing game coordinator. Valero is expected to assume some of the duties of both O'Quinn and Dave Borgonzi, an offensive assistant the last two years who is now in Tampa Bay.
