The intrigue is ramping up by the week with the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, who’ve clawed their way out of the NFL basement and into an increasingly rational playoff discussion. They still have a lot of work to do and may need some luck along with it to actually make the tournament. But no matter how things wind up for Dallas, one question that’s already been answered is whether or not Brian Schottenheimer deserves to return as head coach in 2026.
There have always been, and still are, differing opinions about Schottenheimer’s fitness for the job. Some have supported him from the start, especially after early press conferences showcased his character and personality. On the road to 3-5-1 before the bye, there were split opinions about Schottenheimer’s culpability in the losses. Dallas’ all-time atrocious defense helped deflect much of the blame from its offensively-focused head coach.
Even now, after the three-game win streak, beating both 2024 Super Bowl teams, and getting back above .500, there are still doubters. With Dallas making the postseason still a long shot, the belief that they won’t makes this season feel like an inevitable failure. Many who adamantly wanted another coach, and especially after seeing the effects that Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel have had at their new jobs, probably haven’t been swayed.
We’ll never know just how hot Schotty’s seat was going into this season. It’s an odd thing to say about a first-year coach, especially given Jerry Jones’ history with head coaches. Even Dave Campo got three years. But as the window is ever closing for the Cowboys to return to glory during his lifetime, Jerry’s patience must be shrinking with it. If Schottenheimer had been an unmitigated disaster, who knows if he’d have seen a second year?
At this point, we’re far from anything disastrous. If anything, now that the defense is back to solvency and things seem to have gelled across the board, things are looking up. The team’s resilience since the bye has been inspiring, especially in the wake of Marshawn Kneeland’s death. And while there’s no lack of leadership on the roster, players consistently give credit to Schottenheimer for his role in keeping things together.
Just look at how CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens responded to being benched for the first series in Las Vegas. No weird social media posts, no acting out on the sideline; not even a smirk when the offense struggled without them on the field. They took their discipline and responded like leaders, and have every week since. That just doesn’t happen if there’s any simmering disrespect of the man laying down the law. There are too many mics, cameras, and other ways to catch players’ discontent these days. Instead, all we saw was Schottenheimer’s influence on improving the team’s culture.
Dallas has struggled for so long to find a coach who could consistently elevate talent, while also giving him enough talent to work with. Even when they’ve had good leaders, at least one side of the ball was under renovation. If the 2014 or 2016 teams had had top defenses, who knows what Jason Garrett might have accomplished? Or what if the offensive line wasn’t falling apart in the early years of Mike McCarthy’s run?
Because of how bad the 2025 defense was early, Schottenheimer’s first season may have never been given a fair shake. Even as hope is rising among fans about the postseason, and even the national media is starting to take Dallas seriously, the odds still aren’t great. The Cowboys dug themselves into a big hole in a very tough NFC, where the currently seventh-seeded 49ers have a 9-4 record.
Not making the playoffs this year would be an organizational failure. How much blame you want to lay at Schottenheimer’s feet over others is a personal choice. But with many questionable choices we can point to by the front office, not to mention a lot of injuries, we run the risk of scapegoating Schottenheimer out of frustration over things that were outside of his control.
If you want a head coach like Ben Johnson, Sean McVay, or Kyle Shanahan, who are arguably more famous for their offensive strategy than their leadership, then Schottenheimer’s not your guy. That’s not a knock on his offensive acumen, but he’s hardly a young innovator. Dallas will need to keep him supported by quality coordinators on both sides of the ball, but that’s no insult. That formula has worked for a long time in Pittsburgh, where Mike Tomlin’s leadership is the key to his head coaching success. Andy Reid has been bolstered by top coordinators in Kansas City throughout their championship run. These guys still have influence, particularly on the sides of the ball they came up through as coaches. But first and foremost, you think of them for how they handle the primary duties of the big chair.
Brian Schottenheimer is proving that he belongs in that chair. Is he the right guy for the Cowboys for the next decade? That remains to be seen. The pressure and noise that come with this franchise have been too much for some. But at least so far, this Cowboys team feels more united and motivated under his leadership than in recent memory. He’s earned the right to keep installing his system and culture in 2026, no matter how this season ultimately ends.
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