Immediate Cowboys implications of Saturday’s playoffs K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys were knocked out of playoff contention months ago, but that doesn’t mean the divisional round doesn’t still have an impact on things for their organization. On Saturday, the NFC bracket saw the Washington Commanders crush the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions, taking control with a furious 28-point second quarter, flipping the script on what had been the best second-stanza team in recent memory. The Lions had been +128 in the period all season, but Washington was +14 on this day, the final margin in their 45-31 win to advance to the NFC championship game. The victory marked the first time in 33 years the Washington franchise has made it this far. Aside from the rivalry aspect of things, this is significant to Dallas fans as Washington’s drought was slightly longer than the Cowboys. The Redskins (at the time) won the Super Bowl the year before Dallas’ dynasty began, winning three in four years. Those were part of a 13-year stretch of dominance for the conference, but that’s not really the biggest takeaway here. 1. The Dan Quinn Experience The Commanders coach is Dan Quinn, the former Cowboys defensive coordinator who spurned head coach job offers after his first two seasons leading the Dallas defense to great heights after being fired as head coach of Atlanta. Quinn had taken the Falcons to the Super Bowl LI, but the team collapsed after having a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots and slowly eroded the next few years to the point Quinn was let go. As far as public information goes, the Cowboys didn’t consider letting head coach Mike McCarthy go in favor or promoting Quinn last January. It’s always a risk going of publicly available knowledge, even for an organization as loose-lipped as the Cowboys are, and there’s no indication that Quinn would’ve taken the job if his supervisor had been fired, but it’s still a pretty damning indictment of the Cowboys luck that there was a coach in their building who is capable of ending their drought and not only did they let him leave, he went to their oldest rival and did it immediately after leaving. One has to wonder what kind of impact watching Quinn’s success will have on the front office, as they try to regroup after McCarthy said enough is enough and walked away from negotiations after they let his contract expire to end the season. 2. Detroit assistants are now available One of the biggest issues with the Cowboys drawing out the McCarthy separation is that they missed the window to interview the Lions assistants for an opening. Teams are allowed to talk to the coordinators of the No. 1 seeds during the week leading up to the wild-card round, but because the Cowboys were misstepping with McCarthy, they didn’t get initial talks with OC Ben Johnson or DC Aaron Glenn. Johnson has been one of the hottest names since last year after the way the Lions’ offense has been a juggernaut of creativity, and Glenn’s stock went way up with the way the Lions started the season. Make no mistake, a mind-numbing amount of injuries derailed what was one of the best defenses in the league in 2024. Glenn moved the Lions from 32nd in DVOA before he got there up to 13th in 2023. They were 3rd entering Week 15, but the injuries caught up to them. Still, Glenn has a great chance to become a head coach this cycle. With the Lions elimination, the Cowboys can now interview both candidates instead of potentially having to wait until after the Super Bowl in mid-Februrary.
5 reasons Deion Sanders may be a great choice for Cowboys head coach
Reading the tea leaves when one would rather be downing a cold one isn’t ideal, but it does look as if Jerry Jones just couldn’t fathom he failed to pull off a masterful gambit for the head coach position of his Dallas Cowboys. Jones had his staff walk through the 2024 season on egg shells, bringing back Mike McCarthy after an epic playoff failure, but allowing him and all his assistants to return on the final years of their deals. Two weeks after the end of a disastrous 7-10 campaign, the search is just starting to organize itself. There are media rumors aplenty, including that Jones tried to make McCarthy sign a short deal, and/or pressured him to add coach-in-waiting Jason Witten to his staff. The rumors are centered around Jones assuming McCarthy would do anything to retain the coveted title of Cowboys head coach. Thanks to everything seen out of Dallas over the last 30 years, those scenarios are relatively plausible. So when McCarthy walked away last Monday, it was floated Jones had zero backup plan in place, and everything that happened last week was a scramble drill with a non-mobile QB directing the action. And that lack of planning lead to a quickly and widely publicized conversation with Deion Sanders that same Monday. Many fans and media members scoffed; some at the idea of Sanders being a legitimate consideration, others at the idea Sanders could succeed at the job. But upon closer consideration, Sanders makes a ton of sense as the next head coach of the Cowboys. He’s proven, extremely quickly, to be a great CEO as he’s turned around both Jackson State and the Colarado Buffaloes in short order. Here’s five reasons to think that skill would translate to the NFL. Jimmy Johnson Effect: College insight into prospects he recruited ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 30: Former head coach Jimmy Johnson looks on prior to the game between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) Jimmy Johnson is a legendary coach; a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. This is due to winning back-to-back Lombardi trophies with the Cowboys; but Dallas wasn’t his only pro coaching stop. He also coached the Miami Dolphins for four seasons and though they made the playoffs his final three years, they weren’t a dominant team like his squads in Texas. The difference could’ve been that when he took over the Cowboys, he was straight out the University of Miami, and he had a lengthy amount of insight in all of the young talent in the league and entering the first few drafts based on his recruiting at the University of Miami. Sanders, who thanks to the transfer portal rules was able to get intel on not just high school recruits but current CFB players, would bring a similar amount of insight to the Cowboys during his first few drafts. Would have the respect of Jerry Jones other coaches won’t Nov 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders (right) talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports If there’s one thing we know about Jerry Jones, is that he has an affinity for his guys. Jones and company revere players who have helped the team make money; it’s how they approach big contracts (why outside free agents don’t get courted, they’ve never helped this org) and it makes sense the same thought process would extend to head coach. It’s why Jason Garrett got 10 years and is considered family. Also, Jones has two star Cowboys he can take credit for that prove (in his mind) he was as big a part of putting together the dynasty as Johnson; Charles Haley and Sanders. Haley was traded for, but Sanders was the marquee free agent signing in the league during those early years of its existence. Sanders is absolutely in Jones’ inner circle and it could (maybe, possibly) lead to a more hands-off approach from the meddlesome owner. Cowboys, national media savvy LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 08: Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders speaks on SiriusXM at Super Bowl LVIII on February 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM) One of the biggest concerns for Jones when it comes to hiring a coach, is being able to withstand the media circus that swirls around the position. That won’t be a problem for Sanders. He has his own TV talk show, has lived his entire career as a player as the center of attention, and thrives in the spotlight he craves. In fact, Sanders is such an attention magnet, he’s one of the few people on planet earth who could potentially take some of the pressure off the Cowboys’ players during those tense moments. That was McCarthy’s biggest flaw, the team seemed nervous under the added pressure of the playoffs. It’s hard to see that being a thing under Sanders. Sanders will have respect of his players as someone who did their job at its highest level Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images To put it succinctly, Sanders is Him. He’s the guy who can stand in front of a room full of millionaire athletes and tell them they aren’t as dope as they think they are. He’s the one head coach who can stand in front of Micah Parsons and have a heart-to-heart about what it’s like to be a generational talent. He can stand in front of all of the players and tell them he lived and thrived under the Dallas spotlight. He didn’t stay under the radar and hide from the media. He sought them out. That’s a unique level of experience not many coaches
One of these former Cowboys coordinators will be coaching in Super Bowl LIX in three weeks
Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images The Cowboys will officially have a former coordinator headed to the Super Bowl. Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. That’s the feeling many fans of the Dallas Cowboys are feeling after seeing a couple of their former coaches advance to the NFC Championship game. On Saturday, the Washington Commanders shocked everyone with a 45-31 win over the top-seeded Detroit Lions. And then on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28-22. Just like that, two former Cowboys coordinators will be playing for the right to go to New Orleans and play in Super Bowl LIX. Dan Quinn spent three years in Dallas. The Cowboys went from a franchise-worst 473 points allowed in 2020 to finishing top seven in points allowed in all three seasons he was here. His defense finished best in the league in takeaways in his first two seasons and they were one of the best pass-rushing teams in the league. From the moment he stepped foot in Texas, it felt like the clock was ticking and it was only a matter of time before he’d be a head coach somewhere else once again. That time came this season when he went to Washington. His presence was immediately felt. With the help of a talented rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels and a new offensive coordinator in Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders had their best season in over 30 years. They finished 12-5, which is the first time they’ve had over 10 wins in a season since their Super Bowl-winning season in 1991. Now, in just Quinn’s first year with the team, the Commanders are playing in the NFC Championship game. Kellen Moore spent eight years in Dallas, three as a player and five as a coach. He was a QB coach in 2018 before taking over as offensive coordinator the following year where he held that title for four seasons. Moore’s offenses performed well, finishing first in total yards in two of his four seasons. Despite his success, the Cowboys opted to give Mike McCarthy more control over the offense in 2023, so Moore headed west to take over the play-calling with the Los Angeles Chargers. This season, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles staff as their new offensive coordinator and helped Philly have one of the better offenses in the league. Led by a strong rushing attack, the Eagles continue to move down the field and are back in the conference championship game for the second time in three years. It wasn’t long ago when both Quinn and Moore were on the Cowboys staff. At times we felt fortunate to have these two, but when the team fell short of postseason success, some fans got antsy. These two coached together for two seasons and both units finished in the top seven in points scored/allowed in each of those seasons. It was the first time the Cowboys accomplished such a feat in back-to-back seasons since the year they last won a Super Bowl. Now, these two are helping two other NFC East teams advance to the Super Bowl and one of them is guaranteed to do it. Will it be Quinn as he keeps the Commanders’ Cinderella story going? Or, will it be the dreaded Eagles that make three Super Bowl appearances over the last eight seasons? Whichever it is, we know it won’t be Dallas and these coaches we once took for granted will be celebrating in some other team’s locker room.
Dan Quinn’s success puts Joneses’ missteps in the spotlight, Cowboys weigh in on Twitter
Dan Quinn’s success puts Joneses’ missteps in the spotlight, Cowboys weigh in on Twitter Jazz Monet You know that moment when you break up with someone, and at first, you feel justified? Maybe they weren’t the right fit. Maybe you thought you could do better. Maybe you believed they had maxed out their potential with you. Then, a year or two later, you see them thriving—happier, more successful, reaching goals they only talked about when they were with you. And suddenly, everyone is looking at you, wondering what went wrong. That’s the Dallas Cowboys right now. On Saturday night, former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn led his new team, the Washington Commanders, to a dominant 45-31 win over the Detroit Lions, punching their ticket to the NFC Championship. That’s a stage the Cowboys haven’t reached since January 14, 1996. With the win, Washington ended what was the NFC’s longest championship-game appearance drought—only to hand off the dubious title to the Cowboys. Before the Commanders’ confetti even hit the ground, Cowboys Nation was already pointing out the irony. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis kept it subtle, tweeting: “No way DQ left and immediately did this.” Those eight words elicited hundreds of replies and reposts (and counting), all echoing the same sentiment: What does Quinn’s success say about the Cowboys failures as an organization? Former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant was more direct, telling fans not to expect Dallas to turn things around anytime soon because the franchise is more focused on politics than winning. That sentiment has been gaining traction all postseason, especially after a viral clip of Magic Johnson explaining the Commanders’ success. The new Washington co-owner, standing with managing partner Josh Harris, summed it up like this: “What does it take? New vision. New owner with a strategy. Picking the right people. First our coach, Coach [Dan] Quinn, Adam Peters, and then we all step out of the way and let them do their jobs.” For Cowboys fans, that hit close to home. Revisiting the relationship analogy, this is Dan Quinn’s new boo out here saying the quiet part out loud—listing all the things that supposedly made the old relationship impossible. The idea that Cowboys leadership meddles too much in football decisions has long been debated, but this season, the whispers became a roar. Now, with Dallas searching for its next head coach, the pressure is on. Because once everyone is convinced you are the problem, the only way to prove otherwise is to show you’ve finally learned from your mistakes.
NFL Divisional Round playoff football live discussion: Rams at Eagles, Ravens at Bills
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Enjoy a Sunday Divisional Round playoff double-header from the NFL The NFL playoffs continue today with two Divisional Round games. First the Rams will play the Eagles, followed by the Ravens at the Bills. This is an open thread for game chat.
Cowboys’ 2025 free agent profile: CB Jourdan Lewis
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Do you think the Cowboys will bring back Jourdan Lewis? The Dallas Cowboys have a long list of free agents who will officially hit the open market in a little over two months. Of those, six or seven were significant contributors in 2024, meaning the Cowboys have some difficult decisions ahead of them in the next two months. We continue our free agent profile series by examining a player who was one of Dallas’ best performers in 2024, cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images 2024 Regular Season Stats: 16G, 52 Tackles, 24 Defensive Stops, 48 Receptions Allowed, 488 Receiving Yards Allowed, 5 PBU, 79.0 Coverage Grade Year Review: To the shock of many, the Dallas Cowboys brought cornerback Jourdan Lewis back last spring, signing the veteran to a one-year, $2.8M deal. Lewis’s return to Dallas came as a bit of a surprise, and there was not much faith in him before the start of the season. So much so that coming into training camp, there were questions about Caelen Carson potentially starting at outside corner, moving DaRon Bland back inside, and sending Lewis to the bench. Carson struggled early on, and Bland ended up getting injured before the season started so that theory never got a chance to play out. The Cowboys are lucky it didn’t because Lewis turned out to be by far the best cornerback on the roster in 2024. The 29-year-old had a career year, recording the highest coverage grade of his career (79.0) via Pro Football Focus. Lewis held opponents to three or fewer receptions in 10 of the 16 regular season games he played in and had nine games where he held opponents to fewer than 20 receiving yards. Lewis played some of his best football against some of the most talented offenses Dallas’ defense faced. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, the veteran did not allow a single reception. Lewis achieved the same feat in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons and once again in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles. You could make a solid argument behind Micah Parsons, the former third-round pick was the best-performing player on Dallas’ defense last season. Bringing Lewis back for a little under three million turned out to be one of the Cowboys’ best bargain contracts in recent memory, and the veteran set himself up nicely to get a big payday hitting the open market after his breakout year. Free Agency Outlook: After the season he had, Lewis will make the $2.8M deal he signed last offseason look like peanuts this spring. While the veteran’s size limits him to playing mainly in the slot, you can’t find many slot corners who put together a better year than Lewis during the 2024 regular season. Last March, nickel corner Taron Johnson signed a three-year, $30M contract extension with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was coming off being named an All-Pro during the 2023 regular season, and his performance during his contract year was similar to what Lewis did before entering free agency. Many believed Lewis should have earned All-Pro honors this year, and the contract signed by Johnson will likely serve as a ceiling for what Lewis hopes to gain on the open market. At age 29, the veteran likely won’t get a deal with as high of an AAV as Johnson did, but a team will almost certainly be willing to give him three years. Teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and Carolina Panthers that need cornerback help could be interested in acquiring Lewis’ services if the Cowboys let him hit free agency. Cowboys Verdict: A few weeks back, Lewis spoke publicly about his desire to remain in Dallas despite being set to hit free agency. “Always,” he said. “Dallas is my home. My kids were born here. We’d love to have another season here, or a few seasons here. My wife loves it. “But I know it’s a business, and we don’t know what the front office needs.” It sure seems like Lewis would be very interested in working out a contract where he can return to Dallas, and the Cowboys could benefit significantly from bringing him back. Dallas has DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson, and Trevon Diggs under contract for the 2025 season. Diggs, who suffered a serious knee injury that ended his 2024 campaign early, will likely miss at least half of the 2025 regular season. That leaves Dallas with two healthy cornerbacks, one of which had an extremely disappointing rookie year. You could argue that cornerback is currently the thinnest position group on Dallas’ entire roster. Re-signing Lewis would give the Cowboys’ cornerback group a massive boost and allow them the flexibility not to be forced to spend a premium draft pick on a corner. All in all, a return to Dallas makes too much sense for both sides for it not to happen. Lewis wants to be here, and the Cowboys need him back, so the two parties should be able to work out a deal, hopefully before the start of free agency. Prediction: Jourdan Lewis signs a three-year, $19.5M contract with the Dallas Cowboys
2025 Free Agency: Former 3rd-round pick will be Cowboys toughest decision of all
2025 Free Agency: Former 3rd-round pick will be Cowboys toughest decision of all Mike Crum On most teams, Osa Odighizuwa would’ve already been extended. For the Dallas Cowboys, cap space is king, and their former third-round pick might be too costly for them to bring back. Last offseason, Nnamdi Madubuike received a contract worth nearly $25 million a season. Odighizuwa is the top defensive tackle scheduled to hit the market, and it’s expected he will receive a contract along those same lines. Dallas already has the claim to paying both the highest QB salary, as well as , with Micah Parsons likely to be the highest-paid non-QB when he signs his deal. The Cowboys must be sure they are getting what they pay for when they sign any other player to a top-end contract. The team needs to compare what Odighizuwa has done to other players paid in that range. Derrick Brown and Alim McNeil were injured this season, and Quinnen Williams lost his coach early on. Still, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons, DeForest Buckner, and Madubuike all make between 21 and 25 million on average per season, so how does Odighizuwa match up? In the analytics department, Odighizuwa is as good as any defensive tackle in football. Over the last two seasons, he averaged 11.5 QB hits, 35 hurries, and 51.5 pressures. Buckner, Madubuike, Simmons, and Lawrence averaged 6.5 QB hits, 29 hurries, and 43 pressures in the previous four seasons. Odighizuwa doesn’t have the production metrics of those four, though, trailing them significantly in sacks, tackles for loss and stops, despite them averaging 60 fewer snaps per season than he does. If that were the most significant difference between Odighizuwa and other top defensive tackles, the decision to pay him would be no problem, but other things separate him as well. Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades Odighizuwa lower overall. Their overall grades were mostly over 80, and he was 68.1. His pass rush grade was slightly higher, 78.5 to 77.5, but he fell off entirely in run defense. They combined for a 73.4 grade; Odighizuwa’s was only 50.8. Odighizuwa has an average missed tackle rate of 15% over the previous two years, including 17.4% in 2024, while they have a 6.1% rate. In addition to considering fit with whomever ends up in charge of their defense, Dallas must weigh Odighizuwa’s ability to win at the line of scrimmage and impact the opposing quarterback better than most interior pass rusher in the NFL. Will that lead to more production as he hits his prime, or will the production as a pass rusher never come to fruition, combined with a lack of run defense? You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social
Why Kellen Moore is the right head coach for the Cowboys
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports There is definitely a camp of people who want to see Kellen Moore return to the Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys are searching for a new head coach and one name that has gained a lot of traction is their old friend Kellen Moore. Not everyone welcomes bringing Moore back as some distinctly remember the bad stuff. From being bludgeoned by all the curl route rhetoric to seeing Ezekiel Elliott playing center on the final play he ever called, it doesn’t bring back great memories. While those are things that people bring up, there’s a lot more to this. Regardless of what some fans think of him, many people hold him in high regard. And one of those people is Jerry Jones. Should the Cowboys run this thing back and give Moore the keys to this football team? Here are some things you should consider before hashtagging NoKellenMoore. Moore’s time in Dallas was interesting. Despite an underwhelming audition at quarterback late in the 2015 season, the team wanted to keep him around. A training camp injury ended his season in 2016, and he hung out on the practice squad in 2017. Even though his on-field performance wasn’t up to snuff, the Cowboys didn’t want to get rid of him. All the talk around the organization was about how smart this guy was, so it surprised no one when they made him the quarterback coach in 2018. After just one year of NFL coaching, Moore was promoted to offensive coordinator, where he immediately transformed the Cowboys’ offense. Dak Prescott went from a “game manager” to airing it out. Suddenly, this 227-yards-per-game quarterback was averaging over 300 yards per game. We saw things from Prescott that we hadn’t seen before. In the first year with Moore as their offensive coordinator, the Cowboys had the most total yards and the best passing efficiency in the NFL. Before Moore’s arrival, the Cowboys’ offense had not led the league in total yards on offense since the ‘70s. Now, they have done so in two of Moore’s first three seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator. In 2021, the Cowboys scored 530 points, the most in franchise history. 2022 was a weird season. Prescott missed five games, but the Cowboys still finished fourth in the league in points scored. What is even more impressive about that is they did it with Noah Brown as the team’s WR2. In the end, Prescott threw too many interceptions and Mike McCarthy wanted a more controlled offense that complemented their defense. And just like that, the Kellen Moore era had ended in Dallas. Moore took over as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers where everything was bad that season. They dealt with several injuries as he lost his WR2 Mike Williams early in the year and all their offensive stars (Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, and Austin Ekeler) missed time. On top of that, the Chargers’ defense was terrible so it was an uphill battle for the young play-caller. The Chargers reset their coaching staff, so Moore moved on to Philadelphia. While the Eagles are having success, it’s hard to determine how much of a role he plays in that. They have the best rushing attack in the NFL, but Saquon Barkley is a big part of that. He’s finally had some good luck in the health department and shown what he’s capable of doing. They also have Jeff Stoutland, one of the best offensive line coaches in the league. That’s not to say Moore is just a bystander, but it’s unclear how much of their success is attributed to him. What isn’t an unknown is what he means for Dak. These guys were once backup quarterbacks to Tony Romo and have partnered together for most of the post-Romo era in Dallas. Prescott loves him and it’s easy to see why. With Moore by his side, Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. When trying to solve problems, one way to determine how much of a factor a variable is to the final result is to conduct a design of experiments. Between all the different blocks of data of head coaches, offensive coordinators, and quarterbacks, we now have enough data to show the Cowboys were better at scoring points with Moore calling the plays. Are there other factors that come into play? Absolutely, but this analysis at least helps position us in the right direction, and that direction is – the Cowboys were better with Moore calling the plays. Think about how Moore used pre-snap motion, not just more frequently, but how well it helped Prescott figure things out quickly and isolate the matchups he wanted. He took more downfield shots, used swing screens to get his receivers a running start, and utilized players in ways that some defenses weren’t ready for. He was employing CeeDee Lamb in the backfield before it was cool and used double hand-offs with Zeke pitching it to Tony Pollard in those must-have fourth-down conversions. Moore’s offense just provided more opportunities. While he might be a better play-caller than some would acknowledge, we don’t know what type of head coach Moore would make. Some are apprehensive because they view him with no leadership ability. He is “soft” because he’s soft-spoken. Can he even get guys to listen to him? People forget he’s commanded the huddle every time he stepped on the football field. He’s no stranger to getting players to follow his lead. The real measure of that will come in the decisions he makes. If he’s helping his players succeed, the respect will follow. Anyone the Cowboys hire will be a gamble. There are no sure-fire winners. Moore offers greater complexity to the offense, which can be good if the team can execute it, but troublesome if they can’t. McCarthy’s schemes were simpler for Dallas which worked at times, but he ran into problems against better-coached teams. Moore will face those same challenges, except there is the
Cowboys news: Don’t forget about Aaron Glenn in the Cowboys coach search
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Your Sunday morning news. Cowboys Rumors: Lions’ Aaron Glenn ‘A Name to Watch Closely’ for HC Opening – Zach Bachar, Bleacher Report Cowboys could look at one of their ex players (no, not that one) to be their new head coach. Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is considered “a name to watch closely” for the Dallas Cowboys head coaching vacancy, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Per Schultz, a league source mentioned that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones holds Glenn “in especially high regard.” Dallas is looking to bounce back from a 2024 season in which it finished at 7-10 before moving on from former head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys announced that McCarthy wouldn’t be returning to the team on Monday, with the timing impacting their ability to pursue Glenn. Schultz previously reported that by waiting to part ways with McCarthy, Dallas is unable to interview Glenn as well as Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson until after Detroit’s season comes to a close. The fourth-year defensive coordinator is one of the top candidates during the current hiring cycle. Glenn has already interviewed with the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. He also turned down a request from the New England Patriots before the team eventually hired Mike Vrabel. Before Glenn took over as Detroit’s defensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season, he previously spent five years as a defensive backs coach with the Saints and two years as a defensive backs assistant on the Cleveland Browns. The Texas native also played in the NFL for 15 years, spending two seasons with the Cowboys in 2005 and 2006. The Lions’ defense has continued to improve under Glenn, owning the No. 7 scoring defense in the league by allowing just 20.1 points each week during the 2024 regular season. What would a Cowboys offense under Kellen Moore look like this go-round? – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire If the Cowboys hired Kellen Moore, what would look different about his offense this time? The Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a new head coach and the candidate who leads many odds lists at the moment is Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator for the Eagles. Cowboys fans will obviously remember Moore for his eight years playing and coaching in Dallas. From 2019 through 2022, Moore served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. During that time he led the Dallas offense into the top 10 on three different occasions. His offense led the NFL in total yards two different times and the team posted 12 wins two different times. With a healthy Dak Prescott, Moore had the Cowboys consistently positioned in elite territory. The two years that followed his departure from Dallas, Moore served as coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers (2023) and Philadelphia Eagles (2024). He led the Chargers offense to a No. 17 ranking and the Eagles to a No. 6 ranking (EPA/play). At age 35, Moore is one of the brightest young minds in the NFL today. To Jerry Jones and his coaching search, he’s a familiar face with upside. Cowboys fans haven’t generally been excited about the proposition of a Moore reunion. Citing the many curl routes to nowhere and underwhelming route combinations, they would rather look at new blood for the head coaching position than bring back someone who, in their eyes, already tried and failed. Other Cowboys fans, those who remember the times of plenty under Moore, are excited about the idea of their old coach coming back. They see what he’s accomplished with the Eagles this season and would love nothing more than to repeat that success in Dallas. Determining which side of the fanbase is right and which side is wrong would probably be simplifying a rather complex issue. Moore isn’t the same coach he was when he left the Cowboys back in 2023, just like he’s wasn’t the same coach he was with the Chargers when he went to Philadelphia, nor will he be the same coach he’s been with the Eagles if he comes to Dallas. Burning questions the Cowboys need to ask all head coach candidates – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star It’s not easy being the big man in Big D. Here’s what the Cowboys should be asking all their head coaching candidates. How Will You Get the Best Out of Dak Prescott? Whoever wants to be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys will need to know that QB Dak Prescott is here to stay. Prescott signed a new 4-year deal worth $240 million just hours before the season kicked off in Cleveland, and although the contract received mixed emotions from fans, Dak isn’t going anywhere. A slow start to the season added fuel to the contract fire, and an injury to Prescott shelved him for the majority of the season. Dak will come back this summer to a new coach, new offensive coordinator, and a new offense to learn. Prescott has gotten to a point in his career where he knows what plays he likes to run, so the new coach should give him some freedom. Like most quarterbacks, Prescott has played his best football when he has a strong running game because he is the best version of himself when play-action passes are working. The new coach should put an emphasis on the rushing attack from a quality standpoint. More rushes doesn’t mean a better run game. An efficient run game should be the goal, and Prescott can take care of the rest. How Will You Help Take Attention Away From CeeDee Lamb? WR CeeDee Lamb is the Cowboys’ biggest weapon, and they have done a much better job of exploiting his talent on the field over the past couple of seasons. So many times we complained about Lamb’s usage, begging the Cowboys to scheme him open instead of relying on him to win one-on-one reps on the outside every snap. They finally listened to us and
Dallas Cowboys officially have longest NFC Championship Game drought
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys now have the longest NFC Championship Game appearance drought. The Washington Commanders shocked the world on Saturday night and went to the Motor City and delivered the top-seeded Detroit Lions a loss in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. You would have thought that exclusive rights for a silver and blue squad to underwhelm so badly in the round in question would belong to America’s Team, but clearly not. That it is a “shocker” that the Lions of all teams will not be in the NFC Championship Game is still quite the reality to live in. Detroit has significantly turned around their culture and finally reached the penultimate game of the season last year. They were one of two teams who held a longer drought than the Dallas Cowboys do. Obviously they put an end to it. That left only a single team with a longer drought than Dallas in the Washington Commanders. They had not reached an NFC Championship Game since 1991… until now. You know what that means. The Dallas Cowboys now have the longest NFC Championship Game appearance drought. Last NFC Championship Game appearance Dallas Cowboys, 1995 Chicago Bears, 2010 New York Giants, 2011 Seattle Seahawks, 2014 Carolina Panthers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2015 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Minnesota Vikings, 2017 New Orleans Saints, 2018 Green Bay Packers, 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2020 Los Angeles Rams, 2021 Philadelphia Eagles, 2022 San Francisco 49ers, 2023 Detroit Lions, 2023 Washington Commanders, 2024 Among the more depressing elements of all of this is that the second team on this list has a drought half the size of Dallas’ given that the Chicago Bears last reached the title game in 2010; their streak will turn 15 next season when they have a chance to end it. Dallas’ streak will turn 30, by far the elder statesman of the group. Perhaps the only way that this whole thing could become even more depressing for the Cowboys is if their former coach in Mike McCarthy gets the Chicago job and ends that streak before Dallas does with whoever takes over as his successor. For now, the Dallas Cowboys stand alone. In the worst possible way. Washington made it back before them!
