Here are all the winners and losers from the Cowboys’ hiring of Klayton Adams.
What a week it’s been for the Dallas Cowboys. Since naming Brian Schottenheimer their new head coach and the discourse surrounding the decision, the team has made some good decisions in assembling their coaching. First, the team named Matt Eberflus as their defensive coordinator to replace Mike Zimmer. Eberflus once worked in Dallas, coaching under Rob Ryan and returning to Dallas after his stint as head coach of the Chicago Bears. The other hire that has fans excited is Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator.
Adams comes over from the Arizona Cardinals, where he made an instant impact with their offensive line, and the Cowboys feel he can give the Cowboys some fresh ideas and diverse looks to spice up the offense. Focusing more on the offense, with the addition of Adams, some players/staff will prosper because of it, while some may see a change in their standing with the Cowboys. Here are the winners and losers of Dallas hiring Klayton Adams as their offensive coordinator.
Loser: Mike Solari
It’s hard to envision a way Mike Solari can remain on the staff for much longer. Despite his years of experience, the Cowboys’ offensive line has regressed over the past few seasons. Terence Steele doesn’t look quite right since his season-ending knee injury in 2022, and Solari was tasked with getting a young offensive line going on the right foot. Cooper Beebe fared relatively well, but Tyler Guyton did not. Even though Solari has a relationship with Schottenheimer dating back to their time with Seattle, Adams’ presence on the team pushes Solari into a corner. If your new coordinator can get results from what he had to work with Arizona, imagine what he could do with the prospects in Dallas. Solari isn’t out the door yet, but his standing in Dallas is becoming more tenuous with Adams’ arrival.
Winner: Tyler Guyton
For the Cowboys offense to get back on track in 2025, you get the sense that it’ll be contingent upon how well Tyler Guyton develops. He had a rough rookie year where he was flagged for penalties numerous times and was benched for inconsistency while learning a new position at left tackle. Adams’ reputation as a miracle worker with offensive linemen could be what Guyton needs to get his confidence and start trending his career in the right direction.
The hiring could very well have been done with Guyton in mind. It was already expected that Guyton would improve from year one to year two, but because of Adams’ impact, it could mean much more. Guyton having a coordinator with that area of expertise and playing for a coordinator who understands the importance of using misdirection runs will tremendously help showcase Guyton’s athleticism in the running game. Expect to see a more diverse running game with Guyton punishing smaller defenders on the move.
Loser: Rico Dowdle
This depends on how you want to look at it. Rico Dowlde is coming off the best season of his career at 26 years old, when he ran for 1,079 yards for an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Still, he’s an unrestricted free agent, and if we’re being honest, the Cowboys could already have their eyes elsewhere. It’s a loaded crop of running backs in the draft; the one name being floated around is Ashton Jeanty, with Omarion Hampton and TreVeyon Henderson also connected to the Cowboys.
Although Dowdle ran well last year, there’s still a lack of speed in his game, which makes him feel replaceable. A new staff, a new coordinator, and rumors of former Cowboys running back Tashard Choice coming to be the running backs coach could mean a fresh start at the position. It’s for the best. The Cowboys’ running back room needs a reset, and Dowdle, coming off the year he had, would be wise to look for a pay raise elsewhere that the Cowboys likely would not be inclined to pay.
Winner: Dak Prescott
A new coordinator with innovative ideas in the running game will also benefit the passing game. In speaking with the media this week, Coach Schottenheimer said that he wants to design runs and passing plays to look the same. He wants to create indecision from opposing defenses that will permit Dak Prescott with opportunities to attack the defense off play-action and manufacture big plays in the secondary. Prescott has always been an excellent passer attacking the middle of the defense. If Adams’ offense is designed to create hesitation in the defense, expect Prescott to exploit that area of the field. CeeDee Lamb also benefits from this change by being a premier receiver at every level of defense. A healthy Prescott with a potent play-action attack is a formula success in 2025.
