SAN DIEGO -- The Chargers are one step closer to losing both coordinators from the NFL's best team during the regular season.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday requested and were granted permission to interview defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for their head coaching vacancy.

"He's officially a candidate," Smith said from Mobile, Ala., where he's attending workouts leading up to Saturday's Senior Bowl.

And Phillips is officially interested in one of the NFL's most prestigious jobs, which opened up when Bill Parcells retired on Monday. The 59-year-old coach, also in Mobile this week, had yet to speak to anyone from the Cowboys, but he made it clear that he intends to pursue the position.

Born in Orange, Texas, Phillips played linebacker at the University of Houston and began his NFL coaching career as a linebackers coach for the Houston Oilers under his father, Bum.

"I'm really happy where I am. I can't say enough about the (Chargers') organization and the players and the fans," said Phillips, who completed his third season directing the Chargers' defense. "But I have family and a home there. Us Texans, even though we haven't been there in 20 years, it's always home and the Cowboys are our home team."

Phillips could be the second outside candidate to meet with the Cowboys, following Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Jason Garrett, a former Dallas QB who interviewed for the head coach and offensive coordinator jobs on Wednesday.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is reportedly considering a pairing of the experienced, defense-oriented Phillips as head coach with the 40-year-old Garrett as his offensive coordinator.

Jones already met with three internal candidates -- assistant head coach Tony Sparano, receivers coach Todd Haley and secondary coach Todd Bowles -- but none of them is regarded as a serious contender to succeed Parcells.

Part of the appeal of Phillips is that the Cowboys would be able to maintain defensive continuity, as both he and Parcells are strong proponents of the 3-4 scheme. In Phillips' version of the 3-4, the Chargers have ranked among the NFL's top seven teams against the run each of the past three years. Last season, they led the league with 61 sacks.

"I think he'd make a good head coach," Smith said.

Phillips has been just that in the past, compiling an overall record of 48-39 in stints with New Orleans, Denver, Buffalo and Atlanta. He finished the 1985 season with the Saints and the 2003 season with the Falcons as an interim coach, going 2-1 in the latter stint after replacing the fired Dan Reeves. In between, he went 16-16 in two years with the Broncos (1993-94) and 29-19 in three years with the Bills (1998-2000).

Like Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, however, Phillips has failed to build on regular-season success, as he is 0-3 in the playoffs, including Buffalo's infamous "Music City Miracle" loss to the Tennessee Titans after the 1999 season.

Phillips would be the third assistant lost from Schottenheimer's staff after the recent exits of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, now head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and tight ends coach Rob Chudzinski, now the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator.

In other developments, Smith suggested that running backs coach Clarence Shelmon will be the pick to replace Cameron, although Schottenheimer -- who will make the final call -- insisted that he hadn't decided on an offensive coordinator.

"My information is that it's Clarence," Smith said.

Schottenheimer would only say that Shelmon, who has coached LaDainian Tomlinson and the team's other running backs the past five seasons, is a candidate and that he intends to hire someone from within the organization. Receivers coach James Lofton said he's not under consideration, leaving quarterbacks coach John Ramsdell as the only other possibility.

"We've made some progress," Schottenheimer said. "(Shelmon is) one of a couple who are in the mix. We'd like to get it done as expeditiously as possible. My hope is to be able to stay within the system. It's a good system. The system works.

"What I'm not interested in doing is reinventing the wheel. I want the players to have a sense of continuity."

- Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.