Getty Kellen Moore
Just because Kellen Moore inked an extension with the Cowboys does not necessarily mean he’s staying in Dallas.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the Philadelphia Eagles have requested to interview the wunderkind offensive coordinator for their newly-created head coaching vacancy.
The Dallas Morning News’ David Moore confirmed Archer’s Thursday report, adding that Moore is “drawing a lot of interest this offseason” after coming thisclose to landing the Boise State HC job.
It’s unclear as of this writing whether the Cowboys will decline the request or allow Moore to speak with their bitter NFC East rival. But the 32-year-old did admit his interest in graduating from play-caller to shot-caller.
“Yeah, I want to be a head coach,” Moore said earlier this month. “But I think like anything, really I’m focused on this job right now. Again, we’ll go through this process and we’ll see where it’s at.”
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Moore’s Coaching Arc
Before he’d run Dallas’ offense, Moore was quarterbacking BSU from 2008-2011. He finished his collegiate tenure having completed 1,157 passes for 14,667 yards, 142 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Moore was a Heisman finalist in 2010 and the first QB in FBS history to record at least 50 career wins.
Moore went undrafted in 2012 and lasted three seasons with the Detroit Lions before bolting to the Cowboys, with whom he’d spend the 2015-17 campaigns as a backup. In 2018, he announced his retirement and subsequent foray into coaching; his first gig was a big one: Cowboys QBs coach.
In 2019, Moore was promoted to OC under then-HC Jason Garrett. He was an instant hit with franchise QB Dak Prescott, devising an offense that ranked in the top-five in most statistical categories. One of the league’s most inventive minds, Moore was retained this past offseason by McCarthy, who ceded play-calling duties upon his hiring.
The Cowboys’ offense this past year was off to a historic start, averaging nearly 40 points per game until Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. Still, Moore has displayed an ability to coax production out of backup QB Andy Dalton, who finished 22-of-30 for 377 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the team’s Week 16 blowout of Philadelphia — 513 total yards, 37 points.
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Other Eagles Candidates
For obvious reasons, Moore seems like an extreme longshot to land in the City of Brotherly Love. Why would Dallas help improve a rival? Why would they let Moore out of his three-year contract on which the ink is still drying? Simple answer: They won’t.
Which is why the Eagles are casting a wide net in the search for Doug Pederson’s successor. In addition to Moore, the club has been linked to San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
New England Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo — there’s always one darkhorse candidate — is also expected to interview for the HC position.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL