Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys caught the NFL world by surprise on Tuesday when they interviewed Brian Schottenheimer for their head coach vacancy, and it’s looking like they might be heading for an actual deal with a second interview coming up. There is plenty of anti-Schottenheimer sentiment going around, and it’s not without merit. That said, Schottenheimer’s track record on offense is better than some remember. Let’s take an in-depth look at his time as an offensive coordinator. New York Jets (under Eric Mangini) Brian Schottenheimer’s Jets offenses under Eric Mangini Scoring rank Yards Rank Pass yards rank Rush yards rank 3rd down rank Red zone rank Quarterback(s) Scoring rank Yards Rank Pass yards rank Rush yards rank 3rd down rank Red zone rank Quarterback(s) 2006 18th 25th 17th 20th 4th 21st Chad Pennington 2007 25th 25th 25th 19th 19th 31st Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens 2008 9th 12th 15th 9th 9th 6th Brett Favre Patriots assistant Eric Mangini was hired to replace Herm Edwards as the Jets head coach after Edwards was traded to the Chiefs. Mangini turned around and brought in Schottenheimer to lead an offense that had shown flashes with Chad Pennington but nothing consistent enough to feel great about it. Pennington, who was coming off a season-ending injury, enjoyed a strong rebound season in his first year with Schottenheimer calling plays. The quarterback set a then-career best in passing yards, leading the Jets to 10 wins and being named the Comeback Player of the Year. Unfortunately, the next season saw Pennington get bit with the injury bug again, playing just half the season. Unsurprisingly, the offense took a nosedive with Kellen Clemens taking over midway through the year, and the Jets fell to 4-12. That motivated them to land Brett Favre in the offseason, which prompted Schottenheimer to tweak his offense to fit the former Packers star. It was largely a success, as the Jets offense put up its best season under Schottenheimer to that point, and Favre was named to a Pro Bowl for his efforts. Even still, the Jets missed the playoffs at 9-7 after losing four of their final five games, and Mangini was fired as a result. New York Jets (under Rex Ryan) Brian Schottenheimer’s Jets offenses under Rex Ryan Scoring rank Yards Rank Pass yards rank Rush yards rank 3rd down rank Red zone rank Quarterback(s) Scoring rank Yards Rank Pass yards rank Rush yards rank 3rd down rank Red zone rank Quarterback(s) 2009 17th 20th 31st 1st 20th 20th Mark Sanchez 2010 12th 11th 22nd 4th 6th 30th Mark Sanchez 2011 12th 25th 21st 22nd 22nd 1st Mark Sanchez Rex Ryan was brought in from the Ravens and the fiery defensive coach opted to retain Schottenheimer with one clear mandate: run the dang ball. Favre departed the Jets as one of his many retirements and the team spent the fifth-overall pick on Mark Sanchez out of USC. Schottenheimer set out to build a run-heavy offense that would ease the burden on his rookie quarterback and, by all accounts, he succeeded. The Jets had the best rushing attack in the league and Sanchez was voted First Team All-Rookie by the Pro Football Writers of America. The Jets finished 9-7, snuck into the playoffs, and made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. Going into the next year, expectations were high, and Ryan himself guaranteed a Super Bowl victory. Schottenheimer’s offense was once again dynamite on the ground, and the passing game took a step forward as Sanchez grew into his role. The Jets finished 11-5 and once again reached the conference title game, but lost by five to the Steelers. The next season came after a tough offseason. Two of the Jets’ top receivers, Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, left the team. On defense, they lost two of their top pass rushers in Shaun Ellis and Jason Taylor, as well as cornerback Dwight Lowery, who had just led the team in interceptions. This proved to be too much for the Jets to handle, as they missed the postseason at 8-8. Schottenheimer’s offense regressed, especially in the run game, but Sanchez put up career best numbers that remain to this day. Ryan ultimately decided to move on in an effort to commit more to Sanchez’s development, though that never happened. St Louis Rams Brian Schottenheimer’s Rams offenses Scoring rank Yards Rank Pass yards rank Rush yards rank 3rd down rank Red zone rank Quarterback(s) Scoring rank Yards Rank Pass yards rank Rush yards rank 3rd down rank Red zone rank Quarterback(s) 2012 25th 20th 18th 19th 29th 19th Sam Bradford 2013 21st 30th 27th 19th 28th 24th Sam Bradford, Kellen Clemens 2014 21st 28th 23rd 20th 27th 22nd Austin Davis, Shaun Hill From there, Schottenheimer stuck with the Rams, who had just hired Jeff Fisher after he parted ways with the Titans. Fisher, like Ryan, valued a strong run game that took the load off his quarterback. In St. Louis, Fisher inherited Sam Bradford, who had won Offensive Rookie of the Year before an injury-shortened year prior to Fisher’s arrival. Schottenheimer’s offense looked fairly similar to what he had run in New York, ranking in the middle of the pack in most categories but largely avoiding mistakes. Bradford showed signs of a resurgence, though, setting career bests in passing yards, touchdowns, and adjusted completion rate. There was optimism for the offense heading into 2013 because of this, but it quickly evaporated when Bradford tore his ACL in Week 7, ending his season. Once again turning to Clemens, the offense faltered, though the Rams still won seven games. The next year, tragedy struck even sooner, with Bradford suffering another torn ACL in preseason. Schottenheimer then alternated throughout the season between Shaun Hill and Austin Davis, but neither were able to produce positive results. In the end, Bradford moved on from the team and so did Schottenheimer, leaving Rams fans with a massive “What if?” Georgia Bulldogs Brian Schottenheimer’s

Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images We have an NFC East NFC Championship Game this week. Jayden Daniels voted PFWA 2024 Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year – PFWA, Commanders.com Awards are in order after the rookie’s historic season. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, who broke the NFL rookie quarterback single season rushing record in leading the Commanders to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, is the 2024 Rookie of the Year and the Offensive Rookie of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA). Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse, who led NFL rookies in quarterback hits, pressures and hurries, is the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels, the second overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU, started all 17 games for the Commanders and completed 331 of 480 passes (69 percent; sixth in the NFL) for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a passer rating of 100.1 (seventh in the NFL). He also had 148 rush attempts for 891 yards (second-most among NFL quarterbacks) and six touchdowns. He is the first player in NFL history to record over 1,000 passing yards and over 250 rushing yards in his first five career games. Daniels also is the first rookie and fifth player in NFL history to record a completion percentage of 80 percent or higher in four games in a season, and the sixth rookie QB to throw five touchdowns in a game. His 31 touchdowns (25 passing, six rushing) and his 891 rushing yards are both second among all NFL rookies this season. Daniels’ 3,568 passing yards is second among NFL rookies, and he also rushed for 55 first downs. He was the NFL Offensive Player of the Week in Week 3 and the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Month for September. Daniels is the second player in Washington history to be selected as the PFWA’s Rookie of the Year, as running back Mike Thomas captured the 1975 award. Daniels is also the second Washington player to be the PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, joining quarterback Robert Griffin III, who won the award in 2012. Eagles’ 1st thoughts on facing Jayden Daniels and Commanders again – Dave Zangaro, NBC Sports Philadelphia The third matchup between Washington and Philly will be the rubber match. The Eagles will jump into their preparation this week to face Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, but they already know what’s coming. They’ve seen Daniels twice this already season. “Oh, you know the challenge,” All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun said on Sunday. “He’s dynamic, he can throw the ball, he makes all his reads. He doesn’t play like a rookie quarterback and we’re not going to treat him like one.” The Eagles will host the Commanders on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the NFC Championship Game at the Linc. They get a home conference championship game after the Commanders shocked the No. 1-seeded Lions on Saturday. Thanks to that upset on Saturday, the Eagles knew they weren’t just playing for a trip to the NFC title game on Sunday; they were playing for the chance to host one. And they took care of business with a 28-22 win over the Rams. After the win, they had already started to their attention. As they now get ready to host the Commanders this coming Sunday, they don’t need any reminders about how dangerous Washington’s rookie quarterback can be. New York Giants’ Top Offseason Priorities – Scott Salomon, Sports Illustrated The ship needs to get back on track in New York. The New York Giants need to upgrade an underperforming roster that finished with a franchise-worst 3-14 record and has seemingly not progressed since 2022 when the Giants surprised the NFL with a postseason run. General manager Joe Schoen, given a reprieve on his job, has a lot of work to do, starting with an honest and thorough evaluation of the roster he and head coach Brian Daboll helped assemble. This includes being willing to admit to mistakes made since 2022 that they have stubbornly denied, such as offensive lineman Evan Neal’s best position. They also need to come up with answers to the following glaring problem areas. The Quarterback It is no secret the first position that must be addressed is the quarterback position. They must have a contingency plan if they cannot draft Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, both of whom they’ve been linked to. By picking third, there is no guarantee either will be around when the Giants are on the clock, and there are no other quarterbacks worthy of being selected as high. There is also no guarantee that the Giants have either quarterback ranked that high. The Giants must plan to get a veteran bridge quarterback in free agency, such as Minnesota’s Sam Darnold, Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields, Los Angeles Rams’ Jimmy Garoppolo, or maybe even Carson Wentz, to be that plug-and-play guy who can carry the team through until they find their next Eli Manning.

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Cowboys, please look elsewhere. No one knows where the Dallas Cowboys will turn to in finding their next head coach right now. They’ve been rumors about Deion Sanders; they had an interview with Robert Saleh and a virtual interview with Kellen Moore. It’s also hard to rule out reopening talks with Mike McCarthy if they genuinely were unsure of what direction to go after their negotiations broke down a few weeks ago. That would be shocking, yet uninspired. However, what would be equally uninspiring is hiring Brian Schottenheimer for the position of head coach. Fans understand that Jerry Jones’ way of doing business isn’t like that of anyone else in the league. A positive spin would be that he is comfortable in his beliefs and methods, but a negative spin would be it’s terribly archaic for the modern NFL. Dropping McCarthy and spurning other coveted candidates to promote from within with Schottenheimer would be a horrible mistake. Here’s why the Cowboys settling on Schottenheimer would set them back. The Results Should Dallas make the unpopular decision and hire Schottenheimer, it would be the first time he’s occupied that role in his coaching career. He is the son of longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer. Like many others, Schottenheimer worked under his father in multiple stops while he developed his coaching experience in a career that spans almost 25 years. Still, you wonder why it’s taken so long for him to have gotten a shot as an NFL head coach. When you look at his résumé and his results, you understand why. For much of his career, he’s failed to get the most out of quarterbacks, which is worse when his primary function as a position coach was quarterbacks. Here’s a long list of the outcomes of his primary starting quarterbacks with him as either the quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator from 2001-2014. After his time with the Rams, Schottenheimer spent one year at the University of Georgia before returning to the NFL. Sure, Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck had two good years under Schottenheimer, but that’s more the anomaly over his long coaching career. The numbers aren’t good. The question that has to be asked: If these are the results he’s had and the offense took a nosedive last season, then why double down on this system with him as the leader of your team? His history suggests he’ll get pedestrian results with good quarterbacks and will not uplift bad quarterbacks to be somewhat passable. Him, but no Lunda Wells and Al Harris? Lunda Wells has been excellent in developing tight ends when given significant snaps to develop. Before Wells arrived, Dalton Schultz was just an afterthought. After Wells joined the Cowboys staff, Schultz tallied up 198 receptions and 1998 receiving yards from 2020-2022. Wells did it again by making another fourth-round into a valuable piece for the offense, Jake Ferguson, a former Pro Bowler. Let’s also consider Al Harris. As a coach and player, Harris has been around the NFL every year except for one since 1997; he spent a year at Florida Atlantic. He understands the defensive back position well and has overseen the development of Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, who have been named all All-Pros. When you look at Wells and Harris, you can tell they’re well-liked, but also, more importantly, they’re respected and unafraid to be straightforward with their players. Despite his years of experience, it’s hard to gauge how the players feel about Schottenheimer and whether his personality is able to hold the team accountable. If the team insists on promotion from within, why not, at the very least, interview Harris and Wells? Can he fix the problems from last year? Over the last two seasons, the Cowboys offense has found itself in a rut regarding CeeDee Lamb. In 2023, there seemed to be a brick wall between Dak Prescott and Lamb until things clicked in the second half of the season, but that shouldn’t have been a problem. It also happened this year, with Lamb disappearing for stretches at times during games. Look around the NFL, it doesn’t seem so easy to take away premier receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Yet, it’s been happening in Dallas. Last year, Prescott also saw his production take a downturn before he ultimately went on injured reserve, but the numbers weren’t looking good. He threw eleven touchdowns versus eight interceptions. The Cowboys were one of the worst red zone offenses in the NFL in 2024 and only better than the lowly New York Giants. Dallas converted just 46% of their red zone drives into touchdowns. The last two points would be the usage of KaVontae Turpin. Turpin is the most explosive offensive talent the Cowboys have, but somehow, there’s no concerted effort to get him touches with regularity. Finally, does Schottenheimer have the ability to develop integral pieces on the roster, like Tyler Guyton, who will play a pivotal role in the team’s future?

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The Cowboys are set to have a second interview with Brian Schottenheimer on Wednesday. The Dallas Cowboys are taking things to a more serious level with one of their head coach candidates in Brian Schottenheimer. Around lunchtime on Tuesday, it was reported that the Cowboys are interviewing Brian Schottenheimer (on Tuesday as well) for the position for a second time. This is the first report of any candidate of the four interviewed so far to get a second interview. The #Cowboys are planning to have a second interview with their own OC Brian Schottenheimer today, per me, @TomPelissero and @SlaterNFL. After spending nearly four hours with Schottenheimer yesterday, Dallas brass sits down with him again. pic.twitter.com/fXLod0taVI — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2025 The other three candidates to be interviewed to date are Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier, but as noted there have been no reports of any of them getting a second interview. This would suggest that Schottenheimer has the inside track on all of them, especially given how quickly everything has come together here. Consider the timeline of Schottenheimer events relative to the opening: Monday, January 20th: It is noted he is the betting favorite for the job Tuesday, January 21st: It is reported he would get an interview, and then he ultimately did interview. After the interview it was reported that the interview in question was also done with the Cowboys considering him for offensive coordinator as well Wednesday, January 22nd: Second interview reported and scheduled for same day Schottenheimer’s first interview reportedly lasted four hours. How long will the second go Will it end with an offer? Is this really going to happen? It certainly seems that way.

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images It is possible that Donovan Wilson has played his last snap for the Cowboys. Donovan Wilson has had an unpredictable career in Dallas, rising from draft obscurity to a prominent starting role. But the safety’s future is in doubt as potential salary cap savings and a ready in-house replacement make it hard to see him getting a seventh season with the Cowboys. Wilson is a hard-hitting, occasional play-making safety who’s been a full-time starter in Dallas over the last four-plus seasons. Taken near the end of the sixth round in the 2019 NFL Draft, Wilson moved up the depth chart in 2020 and remained prominent even after the Cowboys added veterans Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker in 2021. They often worked as a trio in Dan Quinn’s defense, with Kearse playing a nickel linebacker role. Things became more traditional in 2024 after Kearse was not re-signed, making Hooker and Wilson the starters with Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell as intriguing, young backups. A year later, Wilson is now the veteran at risk of not being retained. With one year left on his contract, Wilson is scheduled to count $8.65 million against Dallas’ 2025 salary cap. The Cowboys can get back $5.35 million if they make him an outright cut or $7 million with a June 1st designation. It’s put Wilson in a neck-and-neck race with OT Terence Steele for the team’s most likely cap casualty this offseason. But while Steele has some mitigating factors given the team’s overall landscape at offensive tackle, Wilson doesn’t have the same traction at safety. Granted, Dallas isn’t without offseason business at safety. Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas are both entering free agency, albeit not with unrestricted status. Thomas is the key figure here, having shown much more potential as a future starter. With only two years of accrued NFL seasons, having spent his rookie season only on the practice squad, Thomas will be an exclusive rights free agent. Dallas can essentially offer him any amount, though they may not lowball him too severely if they want to preserve a future relationship. Still, Thomas isn’t likely to get much more than about $1 million for 2025. The idea of replacing Wilson with Thomas as a starting safety could make sense on multiple levels. Thomas has generally shown comparable talent to Wilson when playing. He would also be much more affordable for two more years between the ERFA contract and being a restricted free agent in 2026. And while he finished 2024 on the injured list with his knee, Thomas is expected to be fully recovered well before the next campaign. Still, Dallas isn’t exactly flush with other safety options. Bell will be a restricted free agent and the Cowboys aren’t likely to pay him $3 million or more for one of the RFA tenders, which will allow him to test the open market. Israel Mukuamu is also a free agent now that his rookie deal is up. So right now, Wilson and Malik Hooker are the only safeties officially under contract for next season. Also, it’s worth noting that Dallas’ overhead at safety is much lower than many NFL teams. The $7 million per year that Hooker and Wilson each make is a fraction of the $18-$21 million in annual salary for the likes of Antoine Winfield Jr, Derwin James, and Budda Baker. Of course, they’re also not nearly as impactful on the field as those stars. But that does give some perspective on why the Cowboys may not feel too bad about keeping Wilson at his current salary, even with the cap relief potential. Going into next season with Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, and a re-signed Juanyeh Thomas as your core safeties leaves just one or two roster spots to fill at the bottom of the depth chart. It’s not a bad way to go with so many other needs to address, but the question is if they feel they can handle other business without that $5 million chunk they could get by cutting Wilson. That’s what puts him in the crosshairs and, with Thomas ready for a bigger role, makes him the Cowboys’ most likely salary cap casualty.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The latest news around the Dallas Cowboys Cowboys interviewing OC Brian Schottenheimer for head coaching position – Kevin Patra, NFL.com The Dallas Cowboys decided their fourth interview for a head coach would be an in-house candidate. The Cowboys are interviewing offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for their head coaching gig, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater reported on Tuesday, per sources informed of the situation. The 51-year-old Schottenheimer spent the past two seasons as the Cowboys offensive coordinator. He joined Dallas in 2022 as a coaching analyst. The son of Marty Schottenheimer, Brian has extensive assistant coaching experience. His first NFL gig came in Washington as QB coach in 2001 under his father. Since then, he’s worked as a QB coach or OC for seven organizations. His first OC job came in 2006 with the New York Jets, a position he held for six seasons. He joined St. Louis in 2012 as the Rams offensive coordinator for three seasons. He also led the Seattle Seahawks offense for three seasons from 2018 to 2020. Schottenheimer has never been a head coach or interim. If Jerry Jones landed on Schottenheimer, it would provide some continuity for Dak Prescott and the offense after Mike McCarthy’s exit. Cowboys coaching candidate profile: Brian Schottenheimer – David Howman, Blogging the Boys Here is a great breakdown of what you should know about Schottenheimer. Familiarity with Dak Prescott, others One of the biggest motivators for Jerry Jones in considering Schottenheimer, according to reports, is his familiarity with Dak Prescott and other players on the roster. Schottenheimer is said to be well-liked within the locker room, and his relationships with players is believed to make for a smoother transition than hiring an outside candidate. Of course, the counterargument to this notion is that the Cowboys should have just done what it took to retain Mike McCarthy if the concern was having a coach the players like. After all, Prescott and several other players publicly voiced their support for McCarthy. Nevertheless, Schottenheimer’s hire would likely serve as a continuity hire. This may allow the team to hold on to Mike Zimmer at defensive coordinator, as well as Al Harris and several other promising assistants on the coaching staff. Offensive continuity In that same vein, Schottenheimer would almost certainly be hired with the idea of offensive continuity in mind. While he didn’t call plays the last two years, Schottenheimer was heavily involved in crafting the offensive game plans with McCarthy and therefore would likely keep things more or less the same offensively. It’s unclear if Schottenheimer, who hasn’t called plays in four seasons now, would look to call plays as a head coach or bring in someone as a coordinator to call plays for him. Either way, though, don’t expect a Schottenheimer coaching staff to introduce a ton of change offensively. In some ways, that’s a good thing. The Cowboys finished the 2023 season second in EPA/play and third in offensive success rate, and Prescott was the MVP runner up in his lone full season running the Texas Coast offense. Even this year, with so many injuries on offense, Rico Dowdle hit 1,000 rushing yards and CeeDee Lamb topped 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth straight year despite missing the final two games. Nick Saban endorses Deion Sanders for Cowboys head coaching vacancy – Matt Galatzan, DallasCowboys on SI A legendary college coach thinks Deion Sanders would be ready to take on the NFL. However, there is one notable omission from that list – Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. And if you ask legendary college football head coach Nick Saban, Sanders is the man for the job. “Me and Deion… I want him to get that job,” Saban told The Pivot podcast in a recent appearance. ”I have a tremendous amount of respect for Deion Sanders. First, he’s a great person, and he’s done a great job of marketing the program to create a lot of national interest. “He’s always been successful, whether it was at Jackson State, high school, or now in Colorado. His teams have always been well coached.” To his credit, Saban does have a point. In just two years with Colorado, Sanders has turned the Buffaloes from one of the worst programs in the nation, into a fringe Big 12 title and College Football Playoff contender. Before that, he also led Jackson State to a 27-6 record in three seasons, winning two SWAC conference titles in that time. He also was a two-time SWAC Coach of the Year and took home the SI Sportsman of the Year Award in 2023. Who are the Dallas Cowboys projected to pick in the first round of the NFL Draft? – Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Who the Cowboys pick in the first round seems to be between two guys. Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News Selection: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State The Cowboys can’t mess around with this position after not doing much to address it last offseason. Ezekiel Elliott is gone again, which should remind them it’s time to reach for a special back in the first round for the first time in nine seasons. Jeanty will deliver as a dynamic, explosive workhorse in their new offense. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today Selection: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri Any attempt to infuse Dallas’ offense with more playmakers will surely have to come through the draft. Will Jerry Jones be able to resist taking top running back and homegrown product Ashton Jeanty in this spot? Burden might be a more reasonable option for the range, and his electric ability in space could provide an immediate lift if he’s utilized correctly. Josh Edwards, CBS Sports Selection: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State Unless Dallas hires Deion Sanders as the head coach and drafts Shedeur Sanders, the Cowboys will be bringing back Dak Prescott next season. When Prescott was at his best, he had a pass-catching running back to take some of the pressure off of him. Ashton Jeanty