The latest Dallas Cowboys offseason news.
Brian Schottenheimer sets the tone with strong message to Dallas Cowboys players after being introduced as head coach – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports
Coach Schottenheimer will have plenty of support from his players, but can the front office add to this roster enough to find success again?
With Dak Prescott and other key players in attendance, Schottenheimer addressed the media for the first time since the Cowboys announced his hiring last Friday. Schottenheimer, who served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2023 and 2024, shared an opening statement focusing on what the team would look like under his reign.
“To our players, you are the core of this program and we will focus on you everyday,” Schottenheimer said. “To (players in attendance), it means the world to me that you are here. I can’t wait to do this alongside you.”
As for what we expects from his locker room, Schottenheimer set the tone with a strong message regarding the attitude he wants from Cowboys players.
“We’re looking for world class competitors, guys that wanna compete every day to be the best version of themselves,” he added. “We are looking for people with a relentless work ethic. You don’t belong in this organization if you don’t value relationships. This business has never been about Xs and Os. It’s about people. People that love this game. The game of football has given me so much, my family so much. But if you’re not passionate about the game of football and the shield and what it represents, then you are probably in the wrong business.”
Eatman: This hire more about things you can’t see – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys tried to sell the decision to hire Schottenheimer as both a move for continuity and a symbol of change at the same time.
Is that a negative or a positive? Again, we’re about to find out.
Hey, I’m not going to lie and say that I saw this coming or even thought in the past that this would be a possible move. To be honest, I really haven’t had many interactions with Schottenheimer at all in the past two seasons he has been here.
So I won’t sit here today and try to convince you that he’s going to be a great head coach, or that he’s the right fit, or anything like that. All that would be is me relaying what others have told me.
Then again, isn’t that what a lot of media and fans are doing as well? Going off what they’ve heard someone else say? Maybe it’s what they’ve seen from his past, or more importantly, what they haven’t seen.
Just by looking into Schottenheimer’s coaching history, there’s not a lot of consistent success you could point to as the reason he got this chance. And that includes the stops he’s been at in the past, or even his last couple of years in Dallas. The offensive coordinator position here in 2024 with the Cowboys wouldn’t seem like a position that would land a promotion. I get that. I think Schottenheimer gets that, too.
But here’s where I think a lot of people are missing the point – and it’s not really missing it, but rather they just haven’t had the opportunity to witness it yet.
Brian Schottenheimer is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for a lot of things that you just can’t simply see. You can’t see the way he handles himself behind closed doors with his players and colleagues. You can’t see the way he prepares for situations, both during the week and on game day. You can’t see the way he’s handled a somewhat awkward situation of being the offensive coordinator in title only without the usual responsibility of calling the plays.
Jason Witten Not Expected to Join Cowboys Staff Under Schottenheimer Despite Rumors – Scott Polacek, Bleacher Report
Remember when it felt inevitable that Jason Witten was going to be coaching for the Cowboys next season?
“Despite his name making the rounds during the Cowboys’ coaching search, with a belief he’d potentially be added as a position coach in 2025, Jason Witten is not expected to join his former team in any capacity this coming season, per owner and general manager Jerry Jones—though Jones continues to praise the future Hall of Famer as a ‘great coach’ and mentor,” the Cowboys’ official website explained Monday.
Witten doesn’t have NFL coaching experience, but he has found quick success in the profession at the high school level.
Last month, the former tight end led the Liberty Christian (Argyle, Texas) Warriors to a TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) Division II state championship. His team won the championship game 52-10 and completed a perfect 14-0 season where it outscored opponents 716-96 in total.
A jump from high school to the NFL might have been quite the leap, but it’s hard to ignore that success.
Report: Dallas Cowboys to hire Nick Sorensen as special teams coordinator – RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys have their replacement for John Fassel, a coach with previous experience working alongside Schottenheimer.
Schottenheimer’s staff will have Nick Sorensen serving as the special teams coordinator.
The post from Tom Pelissero notes that Sorensen served as the special teams coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. Brian Schottenheimer spent that season as the Jaguars’ passing game coordinator so that is their most recent crossover with one another as Schotty joined the Cowboys staff the next year.
It should be noted that Jacksonville finished 31st in special teams DVOA in 2021.
Most of Sorensen’s career to date has been spent working on the defensive side of the ball which will make this a bit of an adjustment for the special teams group as they were recently coached by John Fassel who left for the same role with the Tennessee Titans. Bones was a special teams wizard with a wealth of knowledge on that side of the ball. That isn’t to say that Sorensen can’t succeed or thrive, just that this is a bit of new.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on hiring Brian Schottenheimer as HC: ‘This is as big a risk as you can take’ – Nick Shook, NFL.com
What other “risks” might the Cowboys take this offseason?
“I know that Shotty is no stranger to these guys (players),” Jones explained during Schottenheimer’s introductory news conference Monday. “I know he’s no stranger to this building. I get my proverbial ass kicked over needing people in my comfort zone. Without this thing being about me in any way, if you don’t think I can’t operate out of my comfort zone, you’re so wrong it’s unbelievable.
“This is as big a risk as you can take. As big a risk as you can take. No head-coaching experience.”
Jones assumed a bit of a defensive stance Monday when asked why he chose Schottenheimer, the son of the late Marty Schottenheimer, as his replacement for McCarthy, pointing to his decades of time spent as Cowboys owner for credibility before delving into what made Schottenheimer a qualified candidate.
“I have a good background in the makeup of what a coach is,” Jones said in a lengthy response. “To think that you can make a decision in an interview and if you didn’t and had never communicated or had a visit, I wouldn’t dare have an interview unless I talked to many, many people that knew that person, and had those kind of life experiences. … Knew their story.
5 opposing coaches Cowboys’ Schottenheimer is going to have prove himself better than in 2025 – K.D. Drummond, The Cowboys Wire
Seeing how the Cowboys new coaching staff stacks up to the rest of the NFC East in 2025 will be fascinating.
Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles
The Cowboys seemed to only have two genuine candidates under consideration, Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore, who was Schotty’s predecessor as Cowboys OC. Let go when McCarthy wanted to call plays, Moore was unavailable for in-person interviews as the Eagles have played the last three weeks leading to their Super Bowl appearance.
Reports are that Moore, who had a virtual interview, was really keen on coaching Dallas, so them making a decision before getting their chance to talk to him in person is going to likely light a rage. If he stays in Philly (only the Saints still have an opening), he’ll be able to extract his revenge twice.
Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders
An oldy but goody, but there’s an alternate universe out there somewhere that the Cowboys decided that they’d seen enough of McCarthy following the 2023 season and promoted Quinn instead of letting him walk to Washington.
There’s also a world where the club saw what Kingsbury did with the Washington offense, and considered that after his failed stint as HC in Arizona, he looks to be the next “got it right the second time around” candidate.
