Dallas Cowboys followers have been waiting with great anticipation for the announcement about their new head coach, and then it came, well, as a let down from some in Cowboys country. On Friday, January 24, the Cowboys announced that they’re promoting Brian Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach.
Schottenheimer has served as offensive coordinator for the team for two seasons and was also on staff the year before that. While it’s usually nice to see organizations and businesses promote from within, some NFL analysts and experts are questioning the move and wondering why owner Jerry Jones didn’t do a bit more digging before he picked the team’s new head coach.
NFL ‘Industry People’ Wonder About Jerry Jones’ Swift Cowboys Move: Report
After the announcement broke about Schottenheimer being the team’s new head coach, plenty in the media had thoughts about the choice. It came as a surprise to many who thought Jones would take some more time with the candidates in the interview process instead of so quickly hiring from within.
While there are certainly positives to bringing on Schottenheimer, notably that he’s already familiar with quarterback Dak Prescott and the team’s players, it’s not like Dallas has had a stellar record the past few years, and that makes some NFL insiders scratch their heads.
In a feature published shortly after the hire was made public, ESPN’s Todd Archer stated that Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore apparently really wanted the job. The Eagles are still in the playoffs, which is a testament to Archer’s work with the team’s offense. However, because the Eagles are still in the running, Jones has only had limited interview time with Moore.
According to a report from Archer, “Coaches, executives and industry people I spoke to were shocked that Schottenheimer rose to the top of Jerry Jones’ list above seemingly more qualified candidates.”
He added that Moore, who is also a former Cowboys player and the former offensive coordinator in Dallas, “was believed to covet the job and there is surprise in league circles that Dallas didn’t wait to explore that possibility more fully.”
So, according to Archer, more than a few in the NFL were surprised that Jones didn’t bark up the Moore tree while he was available.
Cowboys Interviewed Multiple Candidates for Head Coach
According to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, in addition to Moore, the Cowboys also interviewed former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, former Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier and, of course, Schottenheimer. Jones had “also engaged in informal conversations with multiple NFL-adjacent names,” Epstein added in a January 24 piece.
NFL digital content editor Grant Gordon also notes that while “promoting Schottenheimer should bode well for maintaining continuity with quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and others,” the problem is that “for a team aiming to bounce back from a disappointing 7-10 season, the hire could be seen as more of the same.”
However you slice it, the gig is a long time coming for Schottenheimer. He started his coaching career in 1997 as an assistant with, at the time, the team known as the St. Louis Rams, and this marks his first head coaching position.
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NFL Insiders ‘Shocked’ Cowboys Missed ‘More Qualified’ HC Pick