"That man is a legend," Cobb chirped to the surrounding media.

Davis plans to develop similar relationships with the other Cowboys players and hopes to be a significant part of their careers and lives.

"Players don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," he said.

He'll likely be the conduit between player and organization for issues outside of on-field strategy or technique. The NFL is a results-based business and can be merciless in terms of any one player's status and livelihood. That extreme pressure can take a toll with players, and Davis hopes to mentor them as individuals who can handle adversity. It's a role that will benefit not only the current roster but future rookies and young players.

"The NFL can provide a lot of distractions for these young men coming into the league," he said. "Most of us come from humble beginnings, middle class all the way down to poverty, and sometimes this can be pretty big for us when we walk into the NFL."

Davis has said that he will make himself available to help the entire coaching staff in any on-field ways that they might need, but he also made it clear that they were specifically hired to handle their responsibilities.

"They're going to do the X's and O's, and I hope to provide assistance with both the X's and O's, but, more importantly, in the life and development of the whole player."

All of this made it a bit surprising that he was given the title of assistant head coach, considering that Davis has never held an official coaching title in the NFL or college. But McCarthy was allowed to determine his coaching staff upon being hired as head coach, and he likely spent his year off from the NFL considering his possibilities. It's clear that he values what Davis has to offer.

"The fact that he's placed a strong emphasis on the role that he wants me to play here shows a lot about what he thinks about the development of the locker room," said Davis.

After a decade under a previous regime, many of the player holdovers for the Cowboys have been anxious to meet, work with and learn more about McCarthy. It sounds like Davis will be a part of their lives even more immediately.