Dallas has named Brian Schottenheimer as the new head coach, but fans will have to wait for his introductory press conference on Monday to learn whether he will call plays. Whoever calls them, will have to knock it out of the park to maximize Dak Prescott’s skillset as his career has ebbed and flowed over his nine seasons.

The Cowboys have not been to an NFC Championship game since 1995, the longest streak of futility for any team by 15 years. Just since 2018, seven teams have made the Super Bowl, and all either have an elite quarterback who can carry a less-talented squad, a great play-caller who makes an offense outperform its parts, a roster-stacking wizard GM, or a combination.

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL, and Andy Reid is one of the best coaches ever. The Chiefs have followed the New England Patriots’ blueprint with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Brady also led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory to end the 2020 season.

Joe Burrow has carried the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl, even winning in Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs to get there.

Sean McVay might be the best offensive play-caller in the NFL. He helped Jared Goff get to a Super Bowl and then won it with Matt Stafford, who had zero playoff success before having McVay as his coach. Kyle Shanahan is one of the best offensive minds in the league, and the 49ers have made two Super Bowl appearances in the last five years with him running their offense, but he isn’t the only reason.

San Francisco’s general manager, John Lynch, always creates an incredible roster. He has a top-of-the-league defense and surrounds his quarterback with weapons like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. Even when he had a contender, he wasn’t content, trading for McCaffrey and letting Jimmy Garoppolo leave to draft Trey Lance and Brock Purdy.

Another team that has mastered the team-building route to winning is the Philadelphia Eagles.

Howie Roseman built a team so stacked they were able to win a Super Bowl with their backup QB in 2017. He then revamped the team and returned to the big game five seasons later with Jalen Hurts as his quarterback.

They are once again in the NFC title game this year with top-of-the-league offensive linemen, wide receivers, tight end, running back, and defensive unit. They have an MVP candidate in Saquon Barkley, a defensive player of the year candidate in Zack Baun, two defensive rookie of the year possibilities, and Vic Fangio is an assistant coach of the year finalist. Roseman could be executive of the year.

Jerry Jones isn’t going to go all in on Dallas’ roster like the Eagles or the 49ers will.

The team is a playoff contender when healthy, but they won’t push contracts back enough to load up the roster. Prescott is an All-Pro, MVP-capable quarterback, but not one that can carry a lesser team past a great one in the postseason. Only Mahomes, Burrow, and possibly Josh Allen can put a team on their back to overcome a roster that isn’t as good as their opponent.

The general manager and quarterback are locked in for the next few seasons, so the only way the Cowboys can get the team to the next level is by upgrading the head coach to someone who can elevate the team through their scheme and play calling. This is why the coaching hire is key for the next four seasons Prescott is under contract. If the front office can’t build a team the QB can win with, the coach must be great, or the chances of getting to the next level in Dallas are slim.

Can Schottenheimer shock the world and be that guy, or hire the playcaller who can?

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social