Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable
Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Tom Ryle, David Howman, Brian Martin, Sean Martin, and Jess Haynie.
What do you think of Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching hires so far?
There was a lot of apprehension when it came to Jerry Jones hiring Brian Schottenheimer and fans were very vocal on the fact. But what Schottenheimer has put together for his staff is really quite interesting. Matt Erberflus joins the ranks as the teams defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen replaces John Fassel as special teams coordinator, and just recently the team found their new offensive coordinator in Klayton Adams.
The other positional coaches have all been positive and so far have raised the bar and put some optimism in Cowboys fans. On offense, the hires really emphasize a shift to be run-heavy next season, on defense we should expect less stunts and blitzes and more of a shift to becoming a methodical, Tampa-2 defense looking to force mistakes in a bend-don’t-break scheme.
Howman: I think he’s hit home run after home run. Matt Eberflus is probably the least exciting hire to me, only because his scheme is a bit too passive compared to Mike Zimmer or even Dan Quinn, but his track record is strong. I’ve loved every single offensive coaching hire, especially Klayton Adams and Conor Riley. Schottenheimer has done the opposite of what most coaches do, which is hire a bunch of his buddies, and instead looked for coaches that bring creativity and outside-the-box thinking. I love it.
Brian: On paper I really like the way Brian Schottenheimer has filled out his coaching staff. He has a good mix of veteran NFL coaching experience as well as some highly-regarded coaches from the collegiate ranks. I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how this coaching staff gels together and what kind of changes they make.
Tom: Sorry if I’m too predictable, but what has me excited is not seeing any Jerry fingerprints on these hires. It really feels like Schotty is calling the shots – so far. But this is a much better start than I expected.
Jess: I agree with my colleagues here. It’s nice to see less nepotism and more creativity in the hires. The assumed run-game focus could be great for Dak Prescott, but will mean making sure the offensive line has what it needs to function consistently. The onus moves to the front office to to give these coaches what they need to succeed.
Sean: The hires so far all point to a sense of cohesion in what they’ve talked about wanting to achieve. Already this is a step in the right direction compared to not backing up any of their talk – as incoherent as it was anyway – from last offseason’s disaster. The hires can be as good or bad as anyone thinks though, they give no indication at all to the job Schottenheimer will do at the head of it all, and without that I don’t see many fans buying back in fully anytime soon, even after the slight optimism generated by these hires so far.
Will Darren Woodson ever get entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and what do you make of his denial yet again?
Legendary safety and three time Super Bowl winner, Darren Woodson, was again snubbed from entering the Hall of Fame. Frustration among Cowboys fans and media personnel quickly hit to social media to vent their anger. The fact that Woodson is still somehow out of Canton is one of the biggest mysteries in football right now.
Howman: I mean, he has to at some point, right? I really don’t understand the hold up to this point. Those 90’s Cowboys teams have so many Hall of Famers already, and rightfully so, but you can’t tell the story of that dynasty without Woodson. So how has he been snubbed this many times?
Brian: I honestly don’t know why Darren Woodson hasn’t been voted into the Hall of Fame yet, but I do know it will happen eventually. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later. After all, his credentials speak for themselves and matchup with anyone else who already has a bust in Canton.
Tom: It makes no sense to me. It’s the problem with subjective awards. Who knows what the voters are thinking.
Jess: Woody was a three-time Super Bowl Champ and three-time First-team All-Pro. Eric Allen, who’s in the 2025 class, has no rings and only made First-team once. Not saying Allen didn’t deserve to make it, but it’s unfathomable that they’d also deny Woodson. My hope is that they already intend to put Woody in the 2026 class along with Jason Witten as a first-ballot guy, to make it a big Cowboys weekend.
Sean: To be honest, most of Woodson’s career with the Cowboys was before my time getting into the team, so I’ve always been fascinated by this conversation when it comes to how adamant fans are about him getting into Canton. I will defer to Jess here, who makes a great point about pairing him with Jason Witten and creating a Cowboys weekend. Sign me up for that.
Which is more important to address in this year’s draft, offensive line or defensive line?
Both the offensive and defensive line is a huge need for Dallas, thankfully this year’s crop of both defensive tackles and offensive linemen is deep and has plenty of options s available to the new coaching staff. What they decide on prioritizing will begin to unveil itself as they interview players at the combine and who they bring in on private visits which will be reported here on Blogging The Boys.
Howman: I’m of the opinion you should draft at least one guy to both sides every single year, but if I have to pick, give me defensive line. The Cowboys have some potential answers already on the offensive line – I’d be very okay with Brock Hoffman being a starter next year – but the defensive line needs some juice. Micah Parsons is obviously elite, and there should be no questioning an extension for Osa Odighizuwa given the importance of the 3-technique in Eberflus’ defense, but after that? DeMarcus Lawrence might come back, but you still need some viable pass rushers even with him back in the fold.
Brian: The Cowboys track record over at least the last decade prove they are much better drafting offensive lineman compared to defensive ones. That’s not to say they don’t need help on defense, but if they are using a premium pick on the position I would prefer it to be on the OL. I’m not completely sold on Brock Hoffman as a starter and they could need to upgrade both tackle positions as well. I’d address DT via free agency and the OL through the draft.
Tom: Don’t forget Zack Martin’s playing days may be over. In any case, I lean to taking O line. That’s the foundation for everything on offense. It’s not a clear call, but that’s where I think they get the best value.
Sean: I will say defensive line, because across the board on the entire depth chart the Cowboys don’t have a position group right now that feels complete or ready to help them establish an identity/be the reason they win games. Thanks almost to Micah Parsons alone, defensive line is the closest group to reaching this status, so adding here early in the draft or free agency could see the biggest benefit. We also all sat through numerous games this past season where pass protection hardly gave the Cowboys a chance to compete, so it’s important they do enough to feel game-ready on the offensive line pending Zack Martin’s decision and other factors, but if the overall goal is reaching the playoffs again – strengthening the defensive line beyond what they have now is the right idea.
