New Cowboys WR coach Junior Adams comes with strong track record of player development

Another home run hire for Brian Schottenheimer

The Dallas Cowboys are still working hard to round out their inaugural coaching staff under Brian Schottenheimer. Just a few hours before the Super Bowl kicked off, news broke that the team was hiring Oregon co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Junior Adams to coach the receivers in Dallas.

Adams comes to the Cowboys after three seasons working with the Ducks. This will be his first NFL coaching job, but the longtime college coach has been viewed by many as a rising star for quite some time.

The California native originally played wide receiver for Oregon State before transferring to Montana State. Shortly after graduating, Adams was hired as the wide receivers coach at his alma mater. After three seasons there, he spent one season at the high school level with a program familiar to the Cowboys: Prosser High School in Washington. The head coach at the time was Tom Moore, and the team was led by the coach’s son, Kellen Moore.

Adams left Prosser after one year for another one-year stint at Chattanooga before heading back to the Pacific Northwest to coach receivers for FCS powerhouse Eastern Washington. While there, Adams played an integral role in the rapid ascension of Cooper Kupp, who recently shared that the Rams will be seeking to trade him this offseason.

In part because of Kupp’s stardom, which led to him being the second-highest drafted player in Eastern Washington history, Adams was hired by Boise State. While there, he coached former Cowboy Cedrick Wilson Jr., among others.

After three seasons, Boise State’s offensive coordinator – Mike Sanford Jr. – was named the head coach at Western Kentucky, and he brought Adams along as his offensive coordinator. Adams was tasked with calling plays the first year, but Sanford took over after going 6-7 in the first year. That proved to be a mistake, as the Hilltoppers won just three games the next year and Sanford (along with Adams) was fired.

Adams then landed with the Washington Huskies as the receivers coach under head coach Chris Petersen. A year later, he was retained when defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake was promoted to head coach following Petersen’s retirement. While there, Adams worked with a handful of young receivers who went on to have strong college careers, though the three biggest names are Puka Nacua, Jalen McMillan, and Rome Odunze.

Adams got another chance to call plays, being named the interim offensive coordinator in 2021 for the final three games of the year. Washington lost all three, and the offensive problems that led to the coordinator’s firing were not magically solved by Adams.

Still, his strong reputation for recruiting and development landed him the co-offensive coordinator position at Oregon under Dan Lanning. Since coming to Eugene, Adams has finished in the top 10 in his conference in recruiter rankings each year, and his work in 2024 led Adams to being ranked the fifth best recruiter in the entire nation.

Adams has also continued his trend of developing players. Troy Franklin and Chase Cota are in the NFL now, while Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart are bound for the league as well. While Adams did not get promoted to play-caller when Kenny Dillingham left for the Arizona State head job, he’s remained a key part of the game-planning process under current coordinator Will Stein, who is being eyed for the same role at Ohio State.

Adams’ career trajectory has encountered a few setbacks, and it seems as if calling plays is not his forte at this time. Still, his energetic personality has been a boon for him on the recruiting trail, and Adams has been one of the best talent developers of the last decade, with five different receivers going on to become starters in the NFL.

That is exactly what the Cowboys need in their receiver room right now. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have a lot of young and unproven names in their receiving corps. Jalen Tolbert took a step forward this year, but still hasn’t proven himself to be a viable starting option. Meanwhile, the likes of Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks, and Ryan Flournoy all have a lot of work to do at this stage in their careers.

That Adams also has some level of experience in crafting an offensive game plan makes this hire even more exciting. He can instantly fit in as a valuable piece of the coaching staff, supporting Schottenheimer as the play-caller while also helping the receiving corps reach the next level.