The Cowboys finalized their coaching staff by hiring Dallas native Brett Maxie to help coach the secondary.

Maxie, who spent the 2007 season as safeties coach for the Miami Dolphins, will work with new secondary coach Dave Campo.

After Maxie interviewed at Valley Ranch in February, the Cowboys decided to hire him, but he didn't join the staff until Tuesday.

Prior to coaching with Miami, Maxie spent three seasons with Atlanta as defensive backs coach. He has also coached for San Francisco and Carolina.

"I was fortunate enough to play under him for three years," Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall said last month at the NFL scouting combine. "Under him, I got my first and second Pro Bowls, so that says it all."

Maxie played high school football at Dallas Madison and attended Texas Southern.

Three defensive coaches, Todd Bowles, Kacy Rodgers and Paul Pasqualoni, left the Cowboys after the season to join the Dolphins.

The Cowboys hired four coaches to replace them, including Campo, who was Dallas' head coach from 2000 to '02. Dallas also hired Todd Grantham to coach the defensive line and Reggie Herring, who left Texas A&M after about a month as defensive coordinator, to become the linebackers coach.

"Well, we got an outstanding group," coach Wade Phillips said last month. "Certainly, we lost some coaches that were very good coaches for us, but I'm really excited about the group we have, especially Todd and Dave, in that they've been coordinators and one's been a head coach."

Bowles and Rodgers were respected by the players. Outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis praised the work of former linebackers coach Pasqualoni.

The new coaching hires – including offensive line coach Hudson Houck – bring more than 60 years of combined NFL coaching experience to the Cowboys.

"And they see more than their position," Phillips said. "Just going over the things we've gone over already, they've added a lot of things already, especially Campo."

The biggest challenge for the defensive staff is improving the play of strong safety Roy Williams. Despite making his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance, Williams didn't register a sack in 2007 and was held out of the starting lineup for two games to get better pass coverage players on the field. Williams, who is supposed to be a run-stopper, didn't have any tackles for losses for the first time in his career. Yet Williams finished second on the team with 115 total tackles and had two interceptions.

The addition of Maxie could help improve Williams' game.

Last season, Maxie helped second-year safety Jason Allen finish with a team-high three interceptions and 53 tackles for Miami.

Following a 13-year career as a safety with four teams – including a season playing for Phillips with New Orleans in 1985 – Maxie got his first coaching job with the Panthers in 1998.

Raiders sign WR Walker: The Cowboys were interested in signing free-agent receiver Javon Walker, but apparently not as much as Oakland. According to a source, the Raiders on Tuesday signed Walker, who was cut by Denver last week, to a six-year contract worth $55 million that includes $16 million guaranteed. The Cowboys had talks with Walker’s agent, Kennard McGuire, but did not make an offer.

Head coach: Wade Phillips

Asst. head coach/offensive coordinator: Jason Garrett

Defensive coordinator: Brian Stewart

Defensive line: Todd Grantham

Linebackers: Reggie Herring

Secondary: Dave Campo

Secondary assistant: Brett Maxie

Asst. linebackers/defensive quality control: Dat Nguyen

Offensive line: Hudson Houck

Quarterbacks: Wade Wilson

Running backs: Skip Peete

Wide receivers: Ray Sherman

Tight ends: John Garrett

Offensive assistant/quality control: Wes Phillips

Strength and conditioning: Joe Juraszak

Special teams: Bruce Read