The latest news around the Dallas Cowboys as they continue to shape their new coaching staff.
Cowboys offensive coordinator rumors: Here’s who Dallas is closing in on to join Brian Schottenheimer’s staff – Garrett Podell, CBS Sports
Ken Dorsey is a target for the next offensive coordinator in Dallas.
Speaking at his introductory press conference Monday, Schottenheimer spoke about the pride he had in having top-ranked rushing offenses throughout his career as an offensive coordinator. It’s safe to say that will be a priority in Dallas in 2025.
“We want to be able to run the ball,” Jones said. “Everybody says that we want to run the ball and we want to stop the run, and certainly that’s what we want to do. That’s what great championship football teams do, and I know coach Schottenheimer wants to do that. I think it’s real important that we find in this hire a coach that’s going to be outstanding in the run game area.”
That’s why Dorsey is receiving consideration. His Buffalo offenses averaged the seventh-most rushing yards per game in the entire NFL in both 2022 (139.5) and 2023 (130.1).
Dorsey’s 2024 attack in Cleveland, which averaged the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (94.6) in the entire league, was set up to fail due to quarterback Deshaun Watson’s poor play before a season-ending injury and running back Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury. Dorsey ended up being the Browns’ fall guy after Cleveland went 3-14 to secure the 2025 NFL Draft’s second overall pick; head coach Kevin Stefanski gave him offensive play-calling duties during the season and has since taken them back for 2025 following Dorsey’s firing.
New Report Reveals Why Jerry Jones Ultimately Parted Ways With Mike McCarthy – Madison Williams, Sports Illustrated
The length of contract was the deal-breaker in resigning Mike McCarthy.
ESPN’s Todd Archer reported on Thursday that McCarthy was adamant about agreeing to a five-year contract extension with the team. However, owner Jerry Jones apparently was stuck on a three-year deal. Both sides couldn’t agree on a deal, although the details of the contract the Cowboys offered McCarthy are unknown.
It was previously reported that McCarthy “surprised” Jones by walking away from the negotiations. McCarthy has decided to not pursue any head coaching roles in the NFL for the 2025 season as the New Orleans Saints job is the only one still open.
The Cowboys hired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as McCarthy’s replacement. Schottenheimer agreed to a four-year deal with the team.
Lunda Wells, Cowboys agree to terms on contract extension – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys’ 2025 coaching staff will include some consistency by extending Lunda Wells.
The heralded tight ends coach has agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him in the organization going forward, and that can only be seen as great news for Schottenheimer’s plans on offense and the continued development of talent like Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker.
A native of Louisiana, Wells began his coaching career as an offensive line coach at the high school level before joining LSU as an offensive line assistant. He’d then land a promotion with the Tigers to assistant head coach and assistant special teams coach, ascending to the NFL when he signed on to become offensive line quality control coach of the New York Giants in 2012.
His path ultimately led him to becoming the tight ends coach for the Giants before bringing those talents to the Cowboys in 2020, where he’s helped make household names out of Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson — two former fourth-round picks — Ferguson having earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023.
Fizzling Cowboys have lost their buzz. Here’s a quick way Jerry Jones can bring it back – Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News
Will drafting Ashton Jeanty bring excitement back to Dallas?
The notion of using the 12th pick on a player who could give you a running start on catching Saquon Barkley and the Eagles, not to mention open vistas for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, would certainly be appealing. The Boise State whirlwind would make play-calling easier for the new head coach. He’d top Rookie of the Year odds. He’d sell tickets and merch and hope…
…Believe this: Jeanty’s talent will tempt more than just Jerry. The sight of Barkley running away from everyone this season as well as the resurgence of Derrick Henry will no doubt cause a reset in an undervalued market. Because defenses are harder than ever to diagnose, offenses need to counter with more playmakers wherever possible.
The Cowboys, in particular, need more playmakers…
…Jerry needs something to fire up a fan base that watched him sit on his hands last offseason, burning another year of their thinning patience. Letting Mike McCarthy walk satisfied some. But an incompetent search culminating in a first-time head coach at 51 didn’t answer the question of what “all in” really meant.
NFL insider’s diary: Cowboys’ plan to get CeeDee Lamb some help – Tony Pauline, Sportskeeda
The Cowboys may be taking a hard look at wide receiver early in the draft.
I’m told the team will look for a receiver during the first two rounds of the draft to pair with CeeDee Lamb, who they signed to a massive contract extension last August. Aging veteran Brandin Cooks will be a free agent come March, and the team has no true No. 2 receiver.
They will also look for help in the defensive front seven during the draft, specifically to stop the run. Dallas was the fourth-worst rushing defense in the league last season, surrendering 2,331 yards. Mazi Smith, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, has been a disappointment, and veteran middle linebacker Eric Kendricks is a free agent.
Dallas also wants to resign center Brock Hoffman, yet they are debating how much to pay him. Hoffman is a restricted free agent coming off his terrific 2024 season, meaning he can’t really test the market despite the fact that teams other than the Cowboys are interested in him. Scenarios include Dallas placing a tender on him, which would guarantee his pay for at least one year or allow him to negotiate a deal that the Cowboys could then match. Of course, signing him to a multi-year deal is also an option.
Finally, Dallas will likely look for a new offensive line coach, as they are not happy with the development of the unit. There’s a possibility they bring in a new offensive line coach to work with or replace Mike Solari, who presently leads the unit.
