Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Here is how Jets fans felt about Robert Saleh after his time coaching their team. Around this time four years ago, Robert Saleh was considered one of the hottest coaching candidates in the NFL. He had guided a potent San Francisco 49ers defense to a Super Bowl appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs, and had advanced the careers of several premier players such as Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. When it was announced that Saleh had been hired by the New York Jets to be their head coach, it was expected that he would turn the team around and guide them to postseason. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse and Saleh was fired by the Jets after a 2-3 start to the 2024 season. The Dallas Cowboys, after parting ways with Mike McCarthy, are searching for their next head coach. While many high-profile ex-Cowboys have been linked to the job in Dallas, Saleh is the first mention of an actual interview in the future with the team. As has been reported by Josina Anderson, the Cowboys are further along in the process in their coaching search as it would appear publicly, The #Cowboys have already inquired about multiple head coach candidates and their schedules, per league source. They are further along in this process than it currently feels to the public. Jerry Jones is not a rookie at this. — JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 15, 2025 We wanted to know more about the man who potentially could take over as the new coach of the Cowboys, and what happened with Jets and how Saleh would fit in Dallas. To provide a unique take on that, Thomas Christopher from SB Nation’s Gang Green Nation assessed Saleh and his prospects as coach of the Dallas Cowboys based on our questions. Q: First off, what’s your understanding of what went wrong with Robert Saleh and the Jets? After their road win in 2022 in Green Bay, it seemed like an upward turning point for the organization until everything came crashing down. Thomas Christopher (TC): The demise of Robert Saleh comes down to two things: The first was owner Woody Johnson. When you have an owner with little football knowledge consistently meddling in personnel decisions with the roster and coaching staff, it becomes hard to instill in everyone else that you are the team’s leader, let alone mold the team how he wants to. This brings me to the second factor: Saleh’s inability to hold players accountable. With the Jets, Saleh desperately wanted to be liked by both the media and the players. So much so that he would never hold those responsible for mistakes accountable for said mistakes; often, this led to repeat offenders consistently underperforming. There were signs of this happening in 2023, but this season is where we really saw it happen. Q: The relationship between Saleh and Aaron Rodgers was much publicized. Are the rumors of Saleh and Rodgers being at opposing sides true and did Saleh clash with any other prominent players? TC: At the end of the day, Rodgers and Saleh did have different philosophies on how to win. We saw them butt heads in the season and little things that stood out (utilization of presnap movement). Outside of Rodgers, though, there were no incidents that I can recall of Saleh having drama with players. He’s genuinely a player’s coach, to a fault. Q: What Cowboys defensive players or position groups would thrive the most by having Saleh as head coach? TC: The edge rushers and linebackers see the most significant gain. Saleh has a way of getting these players to perform at an elite level. Whether it was Bryce Huff, Quincy Williams, or Jamien Sherwood, it comes as little surprise as that is Saleh’s bread and butter. The cornerback group will improve, too. The way Saleh’s scheme is set up takes the pressure off the back end and allows them to play freely. The turnovers didn’t happen for the Jets because their defensive backs were risk-averse, but that wouldn’t be an issue on another team. Q: What can Cowboys fans expect from Saleh as a head coach as far as a game manager? Is he more the conservative type to hand the game to his defense or is he willing to put the ball in quarterback’s hands to win the game? TC: It’s hard to say because Saleh really didn’t have a quarterback of Dak’s caliber (outside of 5 games with Rodgers). Philosophy-wise, Saleh was pretty conservative with the Jets, where he would instead rely on his defense not to lose games than his offense to try and win them. Yet in an offense with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, it’s difficult to determine if he would remain that conservative. Q: Although Woody Johnson doesn’t have the same visibility in the national media as Jerry Jones, he is still one of the more active owners in terms of public relations. Did that ever create a conflict with Saleh and would he work well with an owner like Jerry Jones that is forefront of the team as much as he is? TC: Woody Johnson definitely created conflict for Saleh, whether that involved meddling with his roster, his coaches, or the comments he’d make in the media. The end of Saleh’s tenure, even dating to last year, showed that their relationship was not as friendly as it appeared in the press. Yet, I think Saleh would work better with Jerry Jones because of Jerry’s experience within the league. While Jerry also has a history of meddling and/or contradiction within the media, Saleh is still a malleable person as far as coaches go. He’s very happy-go-lucky in the sense that he wants to be liked and successful – two things Jerry also wants. The brand of the Cowboys themselves could also help in this regard. People still consider Jerry a legend in the sport, whereas Woody Johnson has never given anything more than the characteristics

Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images Deion Sanders would reportedly “almost certainly” take the Cowboys job if Jerry Jones offered it to him. The Dallas Cowboys’ head coaching search is off and running and to date there are now three names set for interviews with the team: Robert Saleh, Leslie Frazier and Kellen Moore. While those are the names who have been connected to the official interviewing process, there are other names that have been mentioned in general connection to the job as well. One of these names is Jason Witten who, while an interesting candidate, was reportedly suggested by Jerry Jones to Mike McCarthy before his departure as someone who could serve on staff as an heir apparent. That is an idea to say the least. The other name thrown out in this sort of manner has been another former player of the team – no, not Kellen Moore – but Deion Sanders. Coach Prime has been running the show at the University of Colorado for two years and has a legitimate amount of experience at the collegiate level overall, something that Witten does not, and is reportedly someone whom Jerry Jones has spoken with about the position. Sanders’ work in Boulder is something that has been quite polarizing for some time. Many doubted that any success at all was possible. The Buffaloes went 4-8 during his first season in 2023, the last of the Pac-12’s existence as we knew it, but responded greatly by going 9-4 this past season in their return to the Big 12. They lost the Alamo Bowl to BYU, but they also boasted the Heisman Trophy winner in Travis Hunter. Their quarterback, Sheduer Sanders, Deion’s son, is a projected top pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. Proof of concept is there. Whether or not you believe in this as something that can actually work at the NFL level, according to Ed Werder, Sanders is apparently ready to try. Werder reported on Thursday that he would “almost certainly” accept the job if offered and that Jerry Jones is “enamored” with the idea. Regarding Deion Sanders: I’m being told that he would almost certainly accept if Jerry Jones offers to make him the next #Cowboys head coach, that those around him are encouraging him to pursue it and that Jones is enamored with the idea. — Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) January 16, 2025 It is at least this author’s opinion that the idea is not the worst one that has been thrown out. Again, Sanders’ time in college football has had a lot of attention around it, but he has done a lot of things that many people said were impossible. What’s more is that the Cowboys have been floundering around for a long time anyway so any idea that this could set them back feels silly at best. They should not consider anything off of the table. Who is down?

Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images Dane Brugler believes the Cowboys will upgrade their offense early in the 2025 NFL Draft. Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s NFL draft guru, just recently dropped his latest 2025 mock draft predicting what all 32 teams could do with their first two picks based on team needs and information gathered from conversations with sources in the NFL and college football. As far as the Dallas Cowboys are concerned, Brugler seems to think they will target the offensive side of the ball early and often with their first two selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. This could very well be the approach Dallas ends up taking in April, but only time will tell. Until then, let’s take a look at who he predicts the Cowboys will take. 12. Dallas Cowboys: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri The Cowboys have to find more answers in the passing game, outside of CeeDee Lamb. Burden is an explosive threat at all three levels but does his best work with the ball in his hands, becoming a running back after the catch. With the 12th overall pick in the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Brugler predicts the Cowboys will upgrade their passing game by drafting wide receiver Luther Burden III out of Missouri. He would immediately step in as the WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb and give Dak Prescott another dynamic playmaker to upgrade Dallas’ aerial attack. While Brugler’s reasoning is sound and could be exactly the way things play out for the Cowboys, it is interesting to see he thinks in Dallas would pass up on Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, who has been connected to Dallas for a while. By the way, Jeanty ended up sliding all the way to 20th overall to the Denver Broncos. Deciding between WR Luther Burden and RB Ashton Jeanty would no doubt be an interesting and tough decision to make for the Cowboys if this is how things play out. One reason to pass on Jeanty is that the 2025 RB draft class is deep where as the WR draft class isn’t considered to be so. Maybe that’s why Dane Brugler believes the Cowboys would target WR over RB in the first-round and why he decided to go with the latter with their second-round pick, 44th overall. 44. Dallas Cowboys: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State His vision and tempo as an inside runner aren’t always consistent, but Henderson has the acceleration to create big plays any time he touches the rock (he has really shined with Chip Kelly’s pin-pull blocking concepts). His versatility as a blocker and pass catcher gives him a clear path to NFL playing time. TreVeyon Henderson is considered to be a Top 5 running back in the 2025 draft class and was the fourth RB the selected in Brugler’s mock draft. The 5’10”, 210-pound RB is half of the dynamic duo with Quinshon Judkins at Ohio State and rushed for 967 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Buckeyes this season, averaging an impressive 7.3 yards per carry. With the need to upgrade their rushing attack, Henderson makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys with the 44th overall pick. He checks all of the boxes NFL teams look for in a starting RB and should be able to upgrade Dallas’ rushing attack. Again though, it is interesting Dane Brugler decided to pass up on Ashton Jeanty, the best RB in the 2025 draft class, in the first-round for the Cowboys to only to select Henderson for them with their second-round pick. After all, Ole Miss WR Trey Harris and Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor were still available for Dallas at 44 according to Brugler’s mock draft. It is an interesting topic of debate whether Brugler is correct that the Cowboys would go WR over RB in the first-round or vice versa. But, that’s one of the fun aspects of doing these mock drafts. It opens up lines of discussions as to what may or may not happen and what would like to see happen. Only time will tell how things actually play out.

Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Micah Parsons breaks silence on Cowboys, Mike McCarthy split – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com Dallas’ star defender is not pleased by the coaching decision. There is no shortage of potential candidates to land the job of Dallas Cowboys’ head coach in 2025, with Mike McCarthy and the team opting to part ways after a five-year stay that began during the pandemic. But as the front office turns its attention to candidates like Deion Sanders and others, Micah Parsons is still stunned by the divorce. Speaking from his weekly podcast, “The Edge with Micah Parsons” presented by Bleacher Report, the all-world pass rusher had plenty of good to say about McCarthy’s regime. “He’s always been good to us,” said the four-time Pro Bowler. “Losing a great coach like Mike hurts.” Parsons had continually spoken highly of his relationship with McCarthy in the past, up to and now through the departure, though he also readily admitted weeks ago that the decision was “above is pay grade”, and that he had no control over the outcome. The eventual outcome puts the Cowboys in quite the situation — one where McCarthy’s staff, each of those contracts having also expired as of Tuesday, are free to sign with any of the 32 NFL teams, assuming they want to remain in the league and not take their talents to the NCAA. In all, there could soon be a mass exodus and/or a major cleaning of house within the coaching staff ahead of a free agency that features 22 unrestricted players who’ll need their futures sorted out as well. And there’s also the task of Parsons himself entering contract talks. None of this is lost on Parsons especially considering, having been drafted in 2021, this is his first time going through a regime change in the NFL, so he’ll reflect on the past in the moment, but there’s not much time to do so. “It’s gonna be a very interesting offseason,” he said. “ It’s gonna be a complete reset. I trust that we’re gonna make the right decisions. … As one of the leaders of this team, I’m gonna be looking forward to accepting all challenges and embracing whatever comes, to help lead my team to a championship. Jerry Jones and his Cowboys coaches: A nearly 3-decade history of missteps and disappointment – Jason Owens, Yahoo! Sports The Cowboys just can’t find the right coach to get them back to big games. The Jerry Jones era of the Dallas Cowboys started with a bang. After a 1-15 disaster in 1989 in Jones’ first year as the owner and de facto general manager, the Cowboys added Emmitt Smith to a young offensive core that already featured Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. The rest was history. The Cowboys improved to 7-9 the following season, then made the playoffs at 11-5 in 1991. Over the next four seasons, the Cowboys won three Super Bowls, and “America’s Team” was back. The team’s roster and culture was built under the watch of Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson, who claimed two of those Super Bowl titles before his and Jones’ relationship became untenable. In 1995, Barry Switzer stepped in to lead the Cowboys to a third Super Bowl in four years. Jones has been chasing that legacy ever since. In the 29 seasons since their 1995 title, the Cowboys have failed — sometimes spectacularly — to replicate that success. Reclaiming the magic of the Johnson era remains elusive nearly three decades later despite Jones’ frequently misguided efforts to do so. Jones has made several swings since Switzer — some bigger than others — to find the right coach to return the Cowboys to their self-presumed rightful place in the upper echelon of the NFL. While some have produced better results than others, none of have been anywhere close to a home run. Deion Sanders is the betting favorite to become Cowboys coach – Mike Florio, PFT Florio calls the Sanders story a publicity stunt, even if Sanders currently tops the betting leaderboard. DraftKings has Deion as the betting favorite to become the next head coach of the Cowboys. Deion Sanders: +100 Robert Saleh: +150 Kellen Moore: +250. Ben Johnson: +450 Kliff Kingsbury: +550 Joe Brady: +650. Aaron Glenn: +850 Steve Sarkisian: +950. Liam Coen: +1000 Jason Witten: +1000 As usual, the odds reflect the betting trends. The fact that Deion is the favorite means people are putting money on the possibility that he’ll get the job. And maybe he will. For now, however, it still feels like a publicity stunt. One that is working, well. Dallas Cowboys draft prospect watch: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri – Koby Skillern, Sports Illustrated Adding a solid WR2 should be a priority for Dallas in the draft. The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott need a surefire wide receiving threat to put alongside CeeDee Lamb. With affordable, high-quality wide receivers impossible to come by in free agency, the Cowboys’ smartest move is to turn to the draft to bolster their offense. The Cowboys don’t have to look far for potential help at wide receiver, as Luther Burden III is often projected to be available right around their 12th pick in the upcoming draft, or perhaps slightly further back. The 21-year-old, standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 208 pounds, has been a standout for the Missouri Tigers, primarily playing in the slot. The Cowboys’ current star wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, also plays in the slot; however, Burden is a much more explosive player than Lamb. The ability to have two players who can rotate into the slot will make the Cowboys a matchup nightmare. Burden’s speed makes him a constant threat to get open, and his ability to make plays out of seemingly nothing is impressive. The addition of Burden III would open up more one-on-one opportunities for CeeDee Lamb, who defenses have been able to figure out when the rest of

Filed under: Views from the couch: Thoughts on the Texans, Ravens, and Bills advancing in AFC playoffs How much are you enjoying the playoffs without the Cowboys in them? By Sean Martin Jan 15, 2025, 6:30pm CST Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images The NFL playoffs are underway, and with their arrival fans of the Dallas Cowboys have a chance to be freed from watching any more of a 2024 team destined to miss this tournament for the first time in three years, seemingly from the start. Let’s face it, even for die hard fans like all of us here at Blogging The Boys, getting through all four quarters of 17 games for this year’s team felt more like a chore than something to look forward to for long stretches at a time. Now, each remaining NFL kickoff must be cherished, and the cream should continue rising to the top to save the best games for last as Wild Card weekend wrapped up on Monday night in Arizona. While Cowboys fans may be enjoying the opportunity to watch top-end football and teams other than their own, the opportunity for realizing how far Dallas is from the teams that punched their ticket to the Divisional Round – and those that will go onto the championship games, a much more elusive plateau for the Cowboys – is also a sobering one. The two teams that finished ahead of the Cowboys in the NFC East were both winners on Wild Card weekend, but we’ll save our thoughts on that for the NFC version of “Views from the Couch”. On the AFC side, MVP favorites Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen quarterbacked their teams to decisive victories at home. The Ravens built a 21-0 first half lead against a Steelers team that once again limped into the playoffs, and survived a bit of a second half rally to win 28-14. The Bills responded with the mentality of a championship team in front of their home fans, not allowing a single point to the Denver Broncos following an opening drive Bo Nix touchdown. The Bills won 31-7 in a game they quickly seized complete control of in impressive fashion. The most compelling game out of the AFC was the one that kicked off the entire playoffs, with the Houston Texans holding their rightful place as hosts for a Saturday wild card matchup with the Chargers. With neither team known for much recent postseason success, it was second-year head coach DeMeco Ryans getting the best of first-year Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh. By rallying the Texans defense to intercept Justin Herbert four times and sack him four times as well, Houston bought plenty of time for C.J. Stroud and the offense to find their groove and turn a 6-0 deficit into a 23-6 lead. All three phases got involved in a wild game that saw the Texans pull away for their first playoff victory since 2019. Both AFC Divisional games will now be rematches of regular-season meetings. The Texans will travel to the top-seeded Chiefs, the site of a 27-19 Chiefs win in Week 16. The Ravens will be at the Bills, looking to go 2-0 against Buffalo this year after beating them in Baltimore 35-10 in Week 4. Before getting further into any of that, here are a few general observations on the AFC Wild Card games – watching on the couch along with the rest of America’s Team’s faithful. Chargers at Texans: Having a QB that can create for himself is vastly important Although a long time ago in current NFL terms, it really wasn’t all that long ago when Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik was touted as the next hot head coaching candidate. His work with C.J. Stroud as a rookie quickly made him a household name, but something of a sophomore slump in year two with Stroud – faced with devastating injuries to his supporting cast like losing WR Stefon Diggs for the season – has cooled down any talks of Slowik being handed the keys to a franchise just yet. The Texans first five possessions at home in the Wild Card game went lost fumble, three and out, punt, interception, and punt. Both teams struggled mightily to create easy completions for their quarterbacks, a much more expected issue for the Chargers going into the playoffs relying more on defense and their run game. It took a gutty and resilient performance and come-from-behind effort, but the Texans flipped this “stat” and ultimately the scoreboard thanks to Stroud’s ability to improvise. On the Texans’ first scoring drive, Stroud recovered a fumbled snap, extended the play out of the pocket, and turned a broken play that would have led to a punt and favorable field position for the Chargers into a 34 yard gain. Houston still needed to do something they hadn’t up to this point in the first half to put points on the board, and that was continue to string together plays to finish the drive. They did just that when Nico Collins scored from 13 yards out to give the home team an improbable 7-6 lead before halftime. Stroud’s speed on the edge was a great neutralizing factor against the Chargers bookend pass rushing tandem of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. His ability to extend plays and make something out of nothing was a harsh reminder of how rigid the Cowboys offense has looked at crucial junctures through both seasons of former head coach Mike McCarthy calling plays. Dallas has all but shut down the idea of Dak Prescott being a running quarterback ever again, now coming off another season ending injury going into 2025. How much they’ve overstepped and handicapped Prescott’s ability to challenge defenses with his full skillset is harder to judge though. If the Cowboys are serious about continuing to ask Prescott to win on an every-down basis from the pocket, they will need to find a way to improve significantly at both the skill positions and up front this

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images There were certain players who really stood out for the Cowboys this past season. While not much went right for the Dallas Cowboys this season, these players exceeded expectations. They made a bigger impact on the team than many fans and analysts expected them to this year. DE Carl Lawson When the Cowboys signed defensive end Carl Lawson at the end of training camp to the practice squad, not many expected him to have a big impact on the defensive line this season. However, with the defensive line suffering numerous injuries throughout the year, Lawson found himself in a position of playing more than even he may have expected. It’s fair to say he made the most of his opportunities. He finished the season with five sacks, the third-highest on the team. Lawson spoke to Cowboys media, talking about his improvement throughout the season and how it proved he can be a good player in the NFL. “This was a great year for me to prove that I’m still the same caliber of guy,” said Lawson. “The thing for me was continuous ascension. It wasn’t ‘come out of the gates hot and then [fall off]’. And the film I put out there against top-tier opponents, as the season was going on, was really good in establishing myself. With Lawson set to be a free agent this offseason, it would be wise of the Cowboys to bring him back. He has proven himself to be a reliable depth piece on the defensive line. CB Jourdan Lewis Cornerback Jourdan Lewis has been a playmaker for the Cowboys defense throughout his career. He has always been their gritty player in the secondary, not afraid to play physical in the run game. With all this said, Lewis may have had his best season yet this year. With the team getting CB Trevon Diggs back from injury and drafting talented rookie CB Caelen Carson in the fifth round, some fans felt that Lewis could see a somewhat diminished role. However, with the injury-bug striking the secondary all season long, the veteran cornerback stepped up for the defense. Let Jourdan Lewis play forever. Dude rocks. — RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) January 5, 2025 Lewis is one of many players on the team entering the offseason with an expiring contract. But make no mistake, Stephen Jones and the front office would like to see him come back. “Jourdan’s just an uber competitor,” said executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones. “He’s a guy who’s out of contract, and obviously a guy that we want to have back on this football team.” It would be a big win for the Cowboys if they can bring him back on an affordable contract next season. RB Rico Dowdle Fans and analysts were bewildered this offseason when the team didn’t prioritize signing or drafting a running back to replace Tony Pollard, who they had lost in free agency to the Tennessee Titans. The front office had faith that a tandem of Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott could get the job done. While they may have expected too much from Elliott, Dowdle more than exceeded expectations. Dowdle impressed fans in the 2023 season as Pollard’s backup. He didn’t have incredible stats, but he made the most of his opportunities showcasing his explosive running style and consistency as a receiving option. In 2024, Dowdle became the first undrafted free agent in franchise history to rush for over 1,000 yards. He went on a tear throughout the back-half of the season, making his case as a reliable starting running back in the league. Dowdle is yet another player who has an expiring contract this offseason. Whether or not the Cowboys decide to bring him back, Dowdle has certainly earned himself a nice opportunity to be paid well in free agency. These are three players that exceeded expectations in 2024, and the Cowboys would be wise to try and bring all of them back for the next season.