Could it all be coming together for Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten, who is moving up the ranks in his first coaching stint at the collegiate level as the tight ends coach at Oklahoma? The current Cowboys coach, Brian Schottenheimer, has gotten himself on pretty thin ice out at The Star, and though Jerry Jones has made clear he has no intention of replacing Schottenheimer during the season, after the season is another story. Witten’s coaching resume is thin–a state championship as a high school coach at Liberty Christian, and one year with OU–but it’s getting beefed up already. Oklahoma is handing play-calling duties to Witten, an odd responsibility for the guy coaching the tight ends, but a sign of the respect he garners.
In the wake of that news, Ben Rogers of Crown Global Media noted that it is only a matter of time before Witten is on the Cowboys staff in some capacity. Longtime Cowboys reporter Ed Werder seconded, saying, “This is his apprenticeship. Jerry will definitely hire him at some point, potentially as a head coach. He’s said himself he views him as another Dan Campbell.”
Jason Witten ‘Without Question’ an NFL Coach
Jones did, indeed, say that about Witten two years ago. Witten has long been a Cowboys favorite, a 16-year veteran of the Cowboys with 11 Pro Bowl selections and a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2012. Witten briefly retired in 2018 to do television broadcasting, came back with the Cowboys the following year in 2019, and played one more season with the Raiders to close his career.
Jones did compare him to Dan Campbell, saying, “Without hesitation. Yes. He has something that you can’t draw up. He reminds me a lot of our other tight end who is head coach up there in Detroit right now.”
He added: “Jason is very sophisticated when it comes to understanding football and all the nuances. But more important than anything, he really does understand the physical and the mentality of being physical and that part of it. Without a question, he could become [an NFL coach]. He has extraordinary work ethic. … He can be a top coach.”
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It’s not just Werder and Rogers, the speculation about Witten is lingering elsewhere around the Cowboys, too.
From 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Monday: “You’ve been saying you want Schotty to work because you don’t know—the fear of whether the grass is gonna be greener, right? I have that same fear. Just because I don’t believe in Schotty and I think they need to make a move, I don’t know that the next guy that they bring in is gonna be any better. And hell, it might be Jason Witten. He is getting one step closer to that throne, taking over the play-calling duties at Oklahoma for the rest of the season. I could totally see that happening.”
There are nine games to go for the Cowboys, of course. But the Schottenheimer watch, at least, is on.
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