The Dallas Cowboys need a head coach. They need someone who understands the pressure and spotlight the job entails. They need someone who understands the egos of the high-priced weapons on the roster with quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons.
For all intents and purposes, no one fits that description more than Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who spent 8 seasons with the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones in three different roles — as a backup quarterback from 2015 to 2017, quarterbacks coach in 2018 and as offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022.
Moore’s name will almost certainly be at the top of any list of potential Cowboys head coach candidates in the coming weeks after the team and head coach Mike McCarthy parted ways after 5 seasons.
“The hot coordinator is Ben Johnson, the trick-play wizard of the Lions’ offense,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on January 13. “Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has worked for Jones in the past. But if Jones is inclined to follow the common approach of finding someone who is the exact opposite of his last coach, Jones could look to a younger defensive coach. (He hasn’t had a coach with a defensive background since Wade Phillips.)”
Moore’s success with the Eagles should only bolster his case if Jones puts his name on the short list — Philadelphia went 14-3 in 2024 and earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC Playoffs. They did it as Moore guided an offense that featured a 2,000-yard NFL All-Pro running back in Saquon Barkley, an All-Pro wide receiver in A.J. Brown and a pair of All-Pro offensive linemen with tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.
Moore’s Career Swerved From Head Coaching Path
A few years ago, it seemed inevitable Moore was eventually going to become an NFL head coach. Such was Moore’s rapid upward trajectory to offensive coordinator of the Cowboys in 2019, at just 30 years old, and led one of the NFL’s top 4 offenses for from 2019 to 2022 before he was fired following a 12-5 regular season record and early playoff exit
That was followed by an ill-fated season with the Los Angeles Chargers and lame duck head coach Brandon Staley in 2023.
When Moore arrived to become the Eagles’ offensive coordinator before the 2024 season, he was on his third job in as many years and as far as becoming a head coach his name was ice cold.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano put Moore on his list of the Top 10 NFL head coaching candidates for 2025 on December 6, theorizing how Moore might fit with the Cowboys if they parted ways with McCarthy.
“A couple of years ago, Moore was a popular enough candidate that he seemed on the verge of landing a head-coaching job,” Graziano wrote. “Moore has rebounded in his first season in Philadelphia, designing and calling one of the league’s most explosive offenses … If the Cowboys move on from Mike McCarthy, could Moore be a candidate to return to Dallas in the big job?”
According to Front Office Sports, Moore is the NFL’s third highest paid coordinator in 2024 at $2.5 million per season.
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Cowboys Could Turn to Eagles Offensive Coordinator as Next Head Coach