Jones: Garrett Is Not Coaching For His Job; Update On Lee

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones reiterated Tuesday that Jason Garrett is not coaching for his job this weekend against Philadelphia.

In an interview with 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning, Jones was asked for the third time in the past month about his head coach's job security. Garrett has one game remaining in his third full season as head coach, but Jones said he won't be coaching to keep his job as the Cowboys try to reach the postseason Sunday against the Eagles.

"That’s just not right. That’s just not correct," Jones said. "I addressed that three or four weeks ago. He is not. That’s all you need to say about it."

Sunday marks the third straight year the Cowboys will play a defacto NFC East championship game during Garrett's tenure. The winner of the matchup against the Eagles will advance to the playoffs, and the loser's season will end.

Despite that, Jones said he wants his team to benefit Garrett's development as a coach. Sunday will be Garrett's 56th game in charge of the Cowboys. He is 29-26 to this point, but Jones said he has proven his ability to be an NFL head coach.

"At this time in his career, he's learning in leaps and bounds and learning every day, and I want our team to take advantage of that," Jones said.

He added: "In terms of looking at the future, his future is bright with the Cowboys."


Aside from the obvious issue of his quarterback situation, Jones also addressed the injury to his defensive quarterback, Sean Lee.

Lee has been missing since Dec. 9, when he injured his neck in the lopsided loss to Chicago. The linebacker was unsure of his timetable for return last week, and Jones said he still hasn't been cleared by doctors.

"I'm very concerned because he's our quarterback, and it's glaring when he's not out there. It has been glaring the past two ball games," he said.

In the Oct. 20 meeting against the Eagles, Lee was instrumental in stuffing the Philadelphia offense, as he finished with 11 total tackles and an interception.

If he can't go this weekend, it would be Lee's fifth missed game since he exited the Nov. 10 loss to New Orleans with a strained hamstring. Lee missed the wins against New York and Oakland while he recovered from that hamstring injury, and he missed the Green Bay and Washington games with the more recent neck injury.

Lee missed 10 games in 2012 with an injury to his toe.

Jones said Lee's return to the field would give his defense an obvious lift, but he repeated that it remains uncertain and "in no way is he cleared to play."