Ex-Cowboys RBs coach Skip Peete reportedly making lateral move to Buccaneers after not having contract renewed
The position coach who helped develop Tony Pollard is moving on to the NFC South champs

Mike McCarthy's Dallas Cowboys coaching staff is going to look significantly different in 2023. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore took the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers, while six other coaches either did not get their contracts renewed (running backs coach Skip Peete, offensive line coach Joe Philbin, and senior defensive assistant George Edwards) or were let go (assistant head coach Rob Davis, quality control/analytics coach Kyle Valero and assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett). Moore is also taking quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier with him to Los Angeles, per ESPN.
"We thank these men for their hard work, dedication and contributions to the Cowboys," McCarthy said in January. "Each of them represented our team and organization at a high, professional level with class and commitment to making our team better. These were difficult decisions to make because of the great respect I have for each of them as a coach and person of character, combined with the experiences we've all gone through together. This is the hardest part of the business and we wish them nothing but the best."
One of those coaches, Peete, has already found a new home, according to NFL Media. He will be in the same role, coaching running backs, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team whose season ended with at the hands of the Cowboys with Dallas' 31-14 wild-card round victory. McCarthy and the Cowboys opting not to retain Peete was a surprise considering Dallas was the only team in the NFL to have two players with more than 800 rushing yards and 10 scrimmage touchdowns with Tony Pollard (1,007 rushing yards and 12 scrimmage touchdowns) and Ezekiel Elliott (876 rushing yards and 12 scrimmage touchdowns).
Pollard, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, broke out in 2022 under Peete's tutelage with his first 1,000-yard rushing season while leading all running backs in yards per touch (5.9) among the 38 with 150 or more touches. The Buccaneers are making the Peete hire with an eye toward reviving what was the NFL's worst ground game this past season, averaging a league-worst 76.9 rushing yards per game. With 45-year-old Tom Brady playing what is now known as his last NFL season, Tampa Bay passed on a league-high 66.7% of their offensive plays while running on a league-low 33.3% of their plays. Peete will be walking into a talented running back room with former top-five draft pick Leonard Fournette and promising second-year back Rachaad White.
















