Getty The Cowboys are still deciding the future of Kellen Moore.
The Dallas Cowboys are currently undergoing some coaching changes — and they may not be done yet.
Head coach Mike McCarthy held a press conference on Thursday, January 26, to address the major overhaul across the coaching staff. Several key veteran coaches such as offensive line coach Joe Philbin and running backs coach Skip Peete will not be brought back for the 2023 season.
While those decisions were made before McCarthy’s presser, it was the Cowboys head coach’s statement on offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s future that raised eyebrows. Moore — who went through an interview with the Carolina Panthers for their head coaching position before they decided on Frank Reich — is still being “evaluated” by McCarthy when it comes to a return for the 2023 season.
Via Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News:
“Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on whether he will retain OC Kellen Moore: ‘My evaluation process is still going on.’ Hasn’t met with Moore much recently. ‘I’m hopefully to get together with Kellen as early as tomorrow.'”
Cowboys Have Ranked as Elite Offense During Kellen Moore’s Tenure
Moore has served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator since the 2019 season, with Dallas ranking as one of the best offensive units since his arrival. In fact, the Cowboys have ranked No. 1 in total yards in two of his four seasons as coordinator, as noted by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. They’ve also ranked No. 1 in points scored in 2021 and were ranked within the top six in two of his other seasons.
Considering the Cowboys have consistently ranked as one of the top offensive units, it’s very surprising for McCarthy to not give a vote of confidence to the 34-year-old offensive coordinator. It makes it even more surprising considering McCarthy already committed to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for another season after he went through his own set of head coaching interviews before deciding to return to Dallas.
Despite Moore’s success in the regular season as coordinator, Dallas did struggle mightily in their playoff loss against the Niners, scoring just 12 points after averaging 27.5 points per game during the 2022 season. That sluggish playoff outing more than anything may be why McCarthy is hesitant on a decision for Moore.
Cowboys Bringing Dan Quinn Back for 2023 Season
As far as Quinn is concerned, there is no hesitation — the Cowboys are welcoming him back for the 2023 season.
“We’re all extremely excited to have Dan back. This is big for us,” McCarthy said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “It gives us continuity. Frankly, on a personal note, I can’t tell you how thankful I am.
McCarthy further explained the decision to bring Quinn back for a third season.
“I think it’s a bunch of reasons,” said McCarthy. “I think it’s the staff, it’s the players. … Clearly, Dan is in a position to be selective. And I’m extremely excited about the decision.”
Quinn took over for a defensive unit that was arguably the worst in franchise history. The 2020 Cowboys allowed a franchise-record 473 points, ranking 29th in the league. Quinn immediately improved the defensive unit to an elite one, ranking seventh in the league in 2021 (21.1 points allowed) and fifth in 2022 (20.1 points allowed per game).
Dallas also became the first defensive unit since the Pittsburgh Steelers between 1972-1974 to lead the league in takeaways in back-to-back seasons, doing so in both of Quinn’s years as defensive coordinator, according to Williams of Pro Football Talk.
With Quinn returning for the 2023 season, the Cowboys will at least return some of their coaching staff from the previous season.