Getty The Dallas Cowboys are already preparing for Jason Garrett's replacement.
Are the Dallas Cowboys already preparing for Jason Garrett’s dismissal?
Following a discouraging 31-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on national TV in Week 14, the Cowboys now stand at 6-7 — losers of three straight — and on the possible verge of missing the postseason after a fast start to the 2019 season.
With all of that said, we all know who the scapegoat here is, and that’s none other than Garrett. Garrett, one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NFL and having served as the Cowboys head coach since 2010, is likely on the verge of being fired following the season.
Which means that the Cowboys are already preparing for the next head coach — which could be none other than Urban Meyer. According to Jane Slater of NFL Network, Stephen Jones — the executive vice president of the Cowboys — has already interviewed the former Ohio State and University of Florida head coach.
Not only have the Cowboys already spoken to Meyer, University of Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley remains a favorite for the Dallas head coaching position.
Jerry Jones says Jason Garrett will remain the coach but I can confirm a very real interest in Urban Meyer. In fact, I’m told Stephen Jones spoke with him recently. Lincoln Riley remains a strong candidate & file this name as a possibility Clemson OC Tony Elliott per sources.
Meyer Has Said He’ll Coach Cowboys
Meyer became a candidate for the Cowboys’ head coaching position when he inserted his own name into the fold during an interview with Fox Sports. Meyer stepped down as the Buckeyes’ head coach at the conclusion of the 2018 season and is considered retired. However, he made it clear that he’s not so retired after all when he said he would take the Cowboys head coaching job back in October.
“That’s New York Yankees, that’s the Dallas Cowboys,” Meyer initially said regarding the question of whether Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley would or should want the job, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “That’s the one. Great city. They got Dak Prescott, Zeke Elliott. You got a loaded team. And I can’t speak for him obviously, I hate to even speculate because I don’t know him, that’s really not fair, but to me, that’s the one job in professional football that you say, ‘I got to go do that.’”
“Sure,” Meyer said. “Absolutely. Absolutely. That one? Yes.”
While Meyer is certainly a coaching legend in the collegiate ranks — he’s a three-time national champion — he has never coached in the NFL.
That’s right. The 55-year-old Meyer, who began his coaching career in 1985, has never coached a single season in the NFL. Not as an assistant and not even as a strength and conditioning coach.
Lincoln Riley Remains a Hot Candidate
As far as Riley is concerned, he has been a popular candidate due to his work with Kyler Murray, who ended up emerging as the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals. The 36-year-old Riley is 35-5 in his two years as Sooners head coach — however, he too has never served as a head coach in the NFL.
Whoever the Cowboys end up hiring as a head coach remains a mystery, but one thing is for certain — Garrett is coaching his very last days as the head coach of America’s franchise.
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