Winning the Super Bowl with Dak Prescott depends on this key Cowboys decision Mike Crum Dallas has named Brian Schottenheimer as the new head coach, but fans will have to wait for his introductory press conference on Monday to learn whether he will call plays. Whoever calls them, will have to knock it out of the park to maximize Dak Prescott’s skillset as his career has ebbed and flowed over his nine seasons. The Cowboys have not been to an NFC Championship game since 1995, the longest streak of futility for any team by 15 years. Just since 2018, seven teams have made the Super Bowl, and all either have an elite quarterback who can carry a less-talented squad, a great play-caller who makes an offense outperform its parts, a roster-stacking wizard GM, or a combination. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL, and Andy Reid is one of the best coaches ever. The Chiefs have followed the New England Patriots’ blueprint with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Brady also led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory to end the 2020 season. Joe Burrow has carried the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl, even winning in Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs to get there. Sean McVay might be the best offensive play-caller in the NFL. He helped Jared Goff get to a Super Bowl and then won it with Matt Stafford, who had zero playoff success before having McVay as his coach. Kyle Shanahan is one of the best offensive minds in the league, and the 49ers have made two Super Bowl appearances in the last five years with him running their offense, but he isn’t the only reason. San Francisco’s general manager, John Lynch, always creates an incredible roster. He has a top-of-the-league defense and surrounds his quarterback with weapons like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. Even when he had a contender, he wasn’t content, trading for McCaffrey and letting Jimmy Garoppolo leave to draft Trey Lance and Brock Purdy. Another team that has mastered the team-building route to winning is the Philadelphia Eagles. Howie Roseman built a team so stacked they were able to win a Super Bowl with their backup QB in 2017. He then revamped the team and returned to the big game five seasons later with Jalen Hurts as his quarterback. They are once again in the NFC title game this year with top-of-the-league offensive linemen, wide receivers, tight end, running back, and defensive unit. They have an MVP candidate in Saquon Barkley, a defensive player of the year candidate in Zack Baun, two defensive rookie of the year possibilities, and Vic Fangio is an assistant coach of the year finalist. Roseman could be executive of the year. Jerry Jones isn’t going to go all in on Dallas’ roster like the Eagles or the 49ers will. The team is a playoff contender when healthy, but they won’t push contracts back enough to load up the roster. Prescott is an All-Pro, MVP-capable quarterback, but not one that can carry a lesser team past a great one in the postseason. Only Mahomes, Burrow, and possibly Josh Allen can put a team on their back to overcome a roster that isn’t as good as their opponent. The general manager and quarterback are locked in for the next few seasons, so the only way the Cowboys can get the team to the next level is by upgrading the head coach to someone who can elevate the team through their scheme and play calling. This is why the coaching hire is key for the next four seasons Prescott is under contract. If the front office can’t build a team the QB can win with, the coach must be great, or the chances of getting to the next level in Dallas are slim. Can Schottenheimer shock the world and be that guy, or hire the playcaller who can? You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social
Dallas Cowboys hiring Brian Schottenheimer as 10th head coach in franchise history
Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images Brian Schottenheimer is the 10th head coach in Dallas Cowboys franchise history. The Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach. It is Brian Schottenheimer. Cowboys are hiring offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach, Jerrry Jones tells ESPN. “Brian Schottenheimer is known as a career assistant,” Jones said. “He ain’t Brian no more. He is now known as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.” pic.twitter.com/JtGoltP1mC — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2025 Schottenheimer is an NFL legacy as the son of the late Marty Schottenheimer, so he has been around the game for a long time. He has been in and around the NFL for over 20 years and has served as the offensive coordinator for several teams, including the Cowboys over the last two years, but this is his first opportunity to be a head coach. While Schottenheimer did serve as OC for the last two seasons he did not call plays, head coach Mike McCarthy did. Clearly the front office is interested to see what he can do. The Cowboys moved on from McCarthy almost two weeks ago, eight days after the 2024 season ended. Everything really started to develop one full week after the parting of ways with McCarthy. The Cowboys spent the first week of their search getting things organized and through the weekend of the Divisional Round (and slightly beyond) interviewed Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier. Those interviews made them compliant with the Rooney Rule, just for the record. Schottenheimer’s name first took center stage on Monday morning when it was noted that he was the betting favorite to be the next head coach, something that felt like it popped up out of nowhere given the prior week’s events. On Tuesday morning it was noted that he was going to interview with the team. By the afternoon it was reported that an offer could come soon (at that time), and shortly after that it was reported that the interview was actually taking place on Tuesday afternoon marking quite the development across a single day. He would later interview a second time and clearly is what the team wants to do. Ultimately the team came to the conclusion that this is what they believe is in the best interest of the franchise which is why they chose to do it. Heavy speculation has been that the likes of Jason Witten, DeMarco Murray and/or Tashard Choice could join an eventual staff. Now that we know it is Schottenheimer’s staff, we will find out how much validity there was to those reports. Brian Schottenheimer is the newest head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys reportedly held interest in Mike Vrabel and Patriots made move knowing that
Eric Canha-Imagn Images The Cowboys reportedly held an interest in Mike Vrabel. As of the time of this writing the Dallas Cowboys remain on the hunt for their next head coach. Assuming they don’t have one by Friday at close of business, they will have gone two weeks into the process. It took the Cowboys an entire week to figure out that they were going to need a head coach, though. Dallas infamously took the first week of their offseason to figure things out with Mike McCarthy and ultimately came to the conclusion that the two needed to part ways on the eighth day of their offseason. Waiting so long cost the Cowboys in several ways. They were unable to request a virtual interview with staffers from the teams who held the top seeds in each conference and ultimately Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn got head coaching jobs (with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively) without Dallas ever getting a formal interview. But waiting also cost the Cowboys with another candidate. Just an hour or two after they made their McCarthy decision the New England Patriots held a press conference to introduce Mike Vrabel as their new head coach. They interviewed him and others and decided on Vrabel and landed him all in the time that Dallas figured out the McCarthy situation. We can argue that New England always had the inside track on Vrabel due to his history with the organization, but according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Robert Kraft sensed that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys would be interested and pounced. Shout out to Bleacher Report for the transcription: “The Dallas Cowboys, too,” Russini said on her Scoop City podcast (12:00 mark). “A lot of people don’t know that. Guess who knew that? Robert Kraft knew that. Robert Kraft knew the Jones family had an interest [in Mike Vrabel].” Having an interest is one thing and may not be the biggest deal in the world. But it underscores how the Cowboys going about the McCarthy decision, and everything subsequently, has been a broken overall process. Whether or not Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn were the right choice for Dallas is a matter any of us can debate. Again though, the Cowboys made conscious decisions that directly compromised their ability to even interview any of them. You simply cannot operate that way if you are trying to win.
Potential Schottenheimer hire puts most pressure on the future OC
Potential Schottenheimer hire puts most pressure on the future OC reidhanson Brian Schottenheimer, a favorite for the Dallas Cowboys head coaching position, is a lifelong offensive mind. Throughout his various stops around the NFL, Schottenheimer has worked on the offensive side of the ball. His entire time in Dallas, first as an analyst then as the offensive coordinator, he was singularly focused on offense. Based on that, it’s understandable if his potential elevation to head coach makes people more worried about the new defensive coordinator than the new offensive one. After all, Schottenheimer would likely be more involved on the offensive side of the ball, so his defensive coordinator would have to be extremely capable to run things alone. But it’s that precise imbalance that really places added pressure on the offensive coordinator and smooths things out for whoever takes over as the defensive coordinator. Schottenheimer may be an offensive mind, but that doesn’t mean he’s a successful offensive mind. This isn’t to say he’s a proven failure by any means, just that he operated in the background during the Mike McCarthy regime and has had various hiccups at previous stops when he was in charge of offensive play-calling. Having a strong No. 2, in the form of an offensive coordinator, would relieve the pressure and ease his transition to the first head coaching job of his career. Schottenheimer has worked in some extremely conservative and outdated offenses in the past, so he comes with a fair amount of risk as a play-caller. It’s important the Cowboys add an innovative mind on staff to work as the coordinator/play-caller in order to counterbalance Schottenheimer’s more dated approach to the game. Defensive coordinator, on the other hand, would likely be more autonomous. Much like how Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer operated behind McCarthy, whoever would come in to be defensive coordinator under Schottenheimer would likely enjoy the same freedoms over his unit. With so many experienced defensive coordinator names on the market, the Cowboys should have little problem attracting someone capable of picking up where Zimmer left off. Offensive coordinator won’t be so simple. Most of the top offensive minds have been gobbled up and the remaining few probably won’t be eager to sign on under a conservative coach like Schottenheimer. Regardless, that’s exactly what this Cowboys franchise needs. They need the coordinator to come in and make the offense less Schottenheimer-y. At time of this writing, Schottenheimer still hasn’t been hired but there are reports that say it’s only a matter of time. If Schottenheimer is made head coach and also decides to author the offense and call the plays, the Cowboys could be in for a long disappointing ride. But if they can add someone on offense to balance Schottenheimer out and take play-calling off his plate, the Cowboys have a chance at making this highly unpopular head coach hire work. Nothing to do now but sit and wait. Related article [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
How the Dallas Cowboys could create upwards of $100 million in salary-cap space
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images Do we think the Cowboys will create salary cap space and use it? Don’t for a second believe the Dallas Cowboys are as cash-strapped as they suggest heading into the 2025 offseason. Despite Stephen Jones’ claim insisting that the roster building this year will be “really, really tight”, the Cowboys could make room for spending. In fact, a couple of reports suggest Dallas could create upwards of $100 million in salary-cap space. Mike Fisher recently shared a simple path the Dallas Cowboys could take in five easy steps using round numbers to create $100 million in salary-cap space. By “flipping the switch” on Dak Prescott’s and CeeDee Lamb’s contracts, signing Micah Parsons to an extension, and money carried over from 2024, this path looks absolutely doable for the Cowboys. These are all normal NFL front-office practices – standard tools available on the total box – and added up, Dallas’ three moves will have created $40 mil (Dak) + $20 mil (Lamb) + $10 mil (Parsons) + the $30 mil (carryover)… And these three players will be taking up just 25 percent of the cap room and the Cowboys will have a rather astounding $100 million in 2025 cap room! Another report from Pro Football Network goes into a little bit more detail about how the Dallas Cowboys can create more salary-cap space in 2025 with a few contract restructures and an extension for Micah Parsons. Main restructure/extension candidates for the Cowboys Dak Prescott (2025 Cap = $89,896,666) – conventional restructure could open $37,196,000 in cap space (no option to add void years). Trevon Diggs (2025 Cap = $13,897,056) – conventional restructure could save $5,872,500 and as much as $6,264,000 with a void year CeeDee Lamb (2025 Cap = $35,450,000) – conventional restructure could open $20,544,000 in cap space (no option to add void years). Terence Steele (2025 Cap = $18,125,000) – conventional restructure could save $9,060,000 and as much as $9,664,000 with a void year Micah Parsons (2025 Cap = $21,324,000) – the final year of his deal, so no conventional restructure, but could open up $16,123,200 with an extension or adding void years If these numbers are accurate, and the Cowboys make all of these moves, this would free up close to $90 million worth of salary-cap space and that’s not even including the $25 million carried over from 2024 or money saved from potential salary-cap casualties. That’s a lot of moolah! So again, buy into the Stephen Jones insistence roster building will be “very, very tight” this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys if you want, but the numbers speak for themselves. The Cowboys should have more than enough salary-cap space this year to do just about whatever they want in free agency. The only question is… will they?
Cowboys 2025 draft: OT Kelvin Banks Jr. scouting report
Photo by The University of Texas Athletics/University Images via Getty Images Here is our scouting report on offensive tackle, Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas We continue our 2025 NFL Draft preview of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at offensive tackle, Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas. Kelvin Banks Jr. OTTexas Longhorns Junior5-star recruit 6’4”320 lbs Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images History Kelvin Banks Jr. attended Summer Creek High School in Texas and was rated a five-star recruit. He committed to play college football at Oregon but later opted to play at Texas after Oregon head coach, Mario Cristobal, moved to Miami. In his freshman year, Banks was made the team’s starting left tackle and would play 858 snaps on offense. On 456 passing sets, Banks allowed only two sacks and 12 pressures. This would be the most he would allow in a single season during his collegiate career. He earned Freshman All-American honors and was named Second-team All-Big 12. In 2023, Banks continued his role at left tackle for Texas and looked improved. He was more efficient as a run blocker and his pass blocking was even sharper. He played 985 offensive snaps with 550 snaps on passing plays and allowed only one sack and 12 pressures. He was named First-Team All-Big 12, Second-Team All-American and was an Offensive Lineman of the Year candidate. His junior year, Banks looked improved yet again. This was his best season for Texas and he was viewed as one of the premier left tackles in the nation. He played 935 total snaps with 537 snaps on passing sets. He allowed only one sack and ten pressures. He was the winner of the Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy, Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was named All-America as well as First-team All-SEC. 2024 Statistics 935 Offensive Snaps537 Passing Snaps1 Sack Allowed 10 Pressures Allowed7 Penalties NFL Combine/Pro Day TBC Awards All-America (2024)Outland Trophy (2024)Lombardi Award (2024)Jacobs Blocking Trophy (2024)First-team All-SEC (2024)First-team All-Big 12 (2023)Second -team All-Big 12 (2023) Scorecard Overall- 90.7Speed- 84Acceleration- 88Agility- 89Strength- 92Pass Blocking- 92Run Blocking- 81Discipline- 89 THE GOOD Banks’ speed and mobility immediately jump out on tape, particularly in pass protection. Very good arm length for the position. Shows smooth footwork. Started all 37 games at left tackle for Texas and showed incredible durability in that time. Has good use of hands and is able to battle counter moves effectively. Has the speed and footwork to be an effective puller in run blocking. Very quick off the snap. Handles speed rushers easily. Excels in zone blocking schemes. TAPE TIME OT Kelvin Banks Jr Texas ✅ THE GOOD✅#scouting #NFLDraft #Longhorns #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/atkXTEMZDT — Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) January 20, 2025 THE BAD Some scouts talk of his balance being inconsistent, this is referring to his run blocking where he will at times overextend or lunge at defenders. Sustaining blocks can be an issue as the game wears on. Hand placement in pass blocking could be a little better. Lower body strength needs coaching. Seen most notable when trying to anchor or taking on power rushers. Always in a hurry to do everything. TAPE TIME OT Kelvin Banks Jr Texas ❌THE BAD❌#scouting #NFLDraft #Longhorns #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/majDKwO4kF — Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) January 20, 2025 THE FIT: Kelvin Banks Jr. is widely seen as a high-potential draft pick, with most analysts projecting him as a top-10 pick due to his athletic skills and accolades. His three years of production at Texas speaks for itself, especially given the talent he faced in that time and managed to set low numbers of both sacks and pressures. However, his exact draft position can vary, with some suggesting he might be picked in the late first depending on how teams evaluate his potential versus his areas needing obvious refinement. His lower body strength is the biggest cause for concern which gives way to problems blocking against more powerful rushers (which the NFL has plenty of). Regardless, Banks is considered one of the top offensive tackles in this year’s draft class. His combination of athleticism, experience, and awards underscores his draft stock. He projects as a high-ceiling prospect with the tools to become a solid starting left tackle in the NFL, with his development focusing on his blocking technique, particularly in maintaining leverage and block sustainability, and also adding strength to his lower half. His athletic profile and game experience make him an attractive pick for teams like Dallas that are looking to bolster their offensive line. COMPARISON Terron Armstead, Miami Dolphins BTB GRADE Top-10 prospect CONSENSUS RANKING 9th(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services)
Cowboys Headlines: Pete Carroll enters coach convo, Update on Diggs’ status
Report: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has spoken to Pete Carroll about HC job :: Cowboys Wire Link: Reports about Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaking with former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll have added another horse to the race at a time many believed the keys to the team were about to be handed to someone else. Trevon Diggs has surgery on his left knee :: The Mothership Link: Dallas placed cornerback Trevon Diggs on injured reserve in 2024 causing him to miss the last six games of the season. He recently underwent knee surgery and the chondral tissue graft procedure is expected to threaten his availability to start 2025. HC Rumors Run Wild: ‘Informal conversations’ report leads to throwback speculation on mystery Cowboys target :: Cowboys Wire Link: Searching for a new head coach often intertwines rumor with reality. The latest candidate for the Cowboys was quickly debunked as a myth even though the connections to the franchise are apparent. Report: Key Cowboys position coach interviews with Dolphins :: Cowboys Wire Link: The Cowboys’ head coaching delay is starting to impact assistant coaching, as the lack of a clear opportunity in Dallas has led a former position coach to interview with another team for the same position. NFL AP awards: No Cowboys players, coaches named finalists after 7-10 season :: Dallas Morning News A year after Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was the MVP runner-up, this year’s crop of AP awards did not include a single Dallas player after the team struggled mightily en route to a disappointing 7-10 season. Cowboys Injury Report: Preparations for the NFC Championship Round :: Cowboys Wire Link: As two NFC East teams prepare to play in a game the Cowboys haven’t reached since the mid-90s, the offseason still requires insight into the injury situations of a few Dallas players that bring mixed results. Report: Dallas Cowboys could ‘cross finish line’ on hiring Brian Schottenheimer by Friday :: Blogging the Boys Link: Counting your chickens before they hatch is the game Dallas is currently playing with the fans in search of their newest head coach. As journalists struggle to keep up with the changing landscape, the favorite remains, for the moment, Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Dak Prescott’s Lavish Gift for Entire Cowboys Roster Turns Heads :: Athlon Sports Link: Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t forget about his teammates and his appreciation for them came in the form of 85 electric bikes valued at $3,800 a piece which rounds out to a cool $323,000 tab for the highest-paid player in the league. Cowboys’ head coaching search ‘far from over’ despite growing buzz :: SI Link: Reports about the new favorite in the Cowboys coaching search have taken a wild sequence and keeping up with the latest can be confusing. With such uncertainty, the Dallas coaching search is being described as “far from over.”
2025 NFL Draft: Early favorites for the Cowboys at each position on defense
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Who are your favorite defensive players in the 2025 NFL Draft? Earlier we shared our thoughts on offensive prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft that make sense for the Dallas Cowboys at each offensive position. Now we flip over to the defense for the same exercise. DT – Alfred Collins, Texas (6’5″, 320) With only Mazi Smith currently on the roster at defensive tackle, the Dallas Cowboys are in desperate need for some more DT depth as well as another starter or two. Alfred Collins is someone who will hopefully be in play for them in the second-round (44th overall). At 6’5″, 320 pounds with nearly 35″ arms, Collins is exactly the type of DT Dallas needs to upgrade the middle of their defensive line. He is surprisingly disruptive and agile for his size and his anchor in the running game would significantly upgrade Dallas’ run defense. #Texas DT Alfred Collins is great example of an NFL prospect who has made $$$ by his play in 2024. 6055v, 319v, 34 3/4 arms. His disruption and effort show up consistently on tape, including this FF that locked up the win Saturday. Day 2 grade. pic.twitter.com/VA1DGxxC4y — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 18, 2024 EDGE – Mike Green, Marshall (6’3″, 250) Defensive end is an underrated position of need for the Dallas Cowboys with both DeMarcus Lawrence and Carl Lawson hitting free agency. Whether it’s with the 12th overall pick or in a trade-down scenario, DE could very much be in play for the Cowboys in the first round. Mike Green is a good choice if they trade down. He brings to mind the Houston Texans second overall pick a few years ago, Will Anderson Jr. Both are surprisingly stout against the run despite their slim frame and are tenacious as pass rushers. Several newcomers in my updated top-50, including Marshall edge rusher Mike Green (6-3 1/4, 250). Explosive off the snap, relentless motor and more physical vs. the run than expected. Stock player. Full top-50: https://t.co/nEyXyI7OXY pic.twitter.com/gX8OuVNNfp — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 13, 2024 LB – Carson Schwesinger, UCLA (6’2″, 233) Former UCLA LB Carson Schwesinger is flying somewhat under the radar right now, but is a Top 5 player at his position. If the Cowboys are looking to draft a linebacker early, he’s someone they could target with their 44th overall pick. He is similar to former Cowboys LB Sean Lee because of his read-and-react skills and his sideline-to-sideline ability. He’s also no slouch when dropping into coverage. He could challenge for a starting job from Day 1 as a rookie if drafted by the Cowboys. UCLA #49 LB Carson Schwesinger He. Can. Do. It. All. Former Walk-On. Sideline-to-Sideline motor. Good read and react ability. Possesses the change of direction needed inside the box, including for zone coverage. Good foot quickness. 2025 #NFL Draft Prospect pic.twitter.com/yEJz6v5qa1 — Colton Edwards (@coltonedwardsFB) January 10, 2025 CB – Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky (6’1″, 186) Trevon Diggs will be working himself back from yet another season-ending knee injury, Jourdan Lewis is now a free agent, and DaRon Bland is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Cowboys don’t really have a healthy CB other than No. 26 who can be considered a starter, making this a position of need. Maxwell Hairston could fix all that. He is smooth in coverage, has a high football IQ, has the prototypical size/length combo for an outside CB. Might not be a more underrated CB in the 2025 NFL Draft than Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston (#1). Really smooth from off coverage with recovery. Huge fan. pic.twitter.com/ja2QL2NJAq — Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) December 5, 2024 S – Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina (6’3″, 227) Both Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson could potentially be salary-cap casualties for the Cowboys, making safety potentially an underrated roster need for them this offseason. Nick Emmanwori is a Top 5 safety prospect in the 2025 draft class and someone who could immediately upgrade the backend of Dallas’ secondary as a rookie. At 6’3″, 227-pounds, he is capable of being both an enforcer and ball hawk due to his rare athleticism for his size. He’s another player for the second round (44th overall) for the Cowboys. Quite simply… safeties at 6-3 and 227 pounds shouldn’t be able to change direction as smoothly as South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori (#7). Stud athlete… leads the Gamecocks with 52 total tackles, 4 interceptions, and 6 PBUs. pic.twitter.com/JAFP8hjOCe — Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) November 8, 2024
Cowboys news: Jerry Jones has reached out to Pete Carroll about head coach opening
Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images The latest buzz around the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones has reached out to Pete Carroll about Cowboys’ head coach opening – SportsDay Staff, Dallas Morning News While the Cowboys’ head coaching search seems to have a frontrunner in Brian Schottenheimer, a new possible candidate emerges. A person with knowledge of the Cowboys coaching search told The Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins that Jerry Jones has had a conversation with the former Super Bowl champion about the organization’s opening, but have not set up anything formal about a potential job interview. Carroll has officially interviewed with the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders about their head coach openings in recent weeks. The 73-year-old Carroll is looking to return to the sideline after moving into an advisory role with the Seahawks at the end of last season. He led Seattle to its lone Super Bowl championship during a 14-year run that included 10 trips to the playoffs. He also won a national championship at USC, making him one of three coaches to win the top NFL and college prizes along with former Cowboys coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer. Carroll had a 137-69-1 record in the regular season with the Seahawks, leading them to five NFC West titles and 10 playoff victories. Alongside his defensive coordinator at the time Dan Quinn, Carroll became the first coach to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Seattle with the Seahawks’ Super Bowl 48 victory over Denver. The Seahawks got back to the Super Bowl the following year, but Russell Wilson threw a goal-line interception in the final seconds of a loss to New England. Cowboys head coach interviewee Robert Saleh is returning to the 49ers. Report: Robert Saleh headed back to San Francisco as defensive coordinator https://t.co/XSPYTAqJn0 — John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) January 24, 2025 Trevon Diggs has surgery on his left knee – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com CB Trevon Diggs has surgery to repair his left knee after missing the latter part of the season. The timetable for return may extend into training camp. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, who missed the last six games of the season with a knee injury, had surgery on Thursday. Diggs battled through the injury during the mid-to-late part of the season and eventually went to IR. The surgery, which is called a chondral tissue graft procedure requires considerable time from the initial injury. Still, the Cowboys are hopeful Diggs can return next season at some point, even if he’s not ready to start practicing at the beginning of training camp. Diggs, a two-time Pro Bowler, played in 11 games this past season, recording two interceptions. Diggs missed most of the 2023 season with an ACL injury, also on his left knee. Brian Schottenheimer’s HC potential gets strong endorsement amid Cowboys buzz – Koby Skillern, Sports Illustrated Michael Lombardi and Pat McAfee had high praise for the potential new head coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Fans had hoped for a more high-profile, dynamic hire—someone with head coaching experience to help turn the team’s fortunes around. However, not everyone shares the same skepticism. On The Pat McAfee Show, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi expressed his belief that Schottenheimer is ”more ready to be a head coach now than he ever was” and that he is ”rooting for Brian to carry on his father’s legacy.” Lombardi went on to say that Schottenheimer would be a ”great hire” and a ”great leader” for the Cowboys. These comments offer a fresh perspective, countering the doubts from fans and analysts alike. “I think Brian Schottenheimer is a really good football coach.. I’m sure he’s ready to be a Head Coach and I think he would be a great hire for the Dallas Cowboys” @mlombardiuncgm #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/fOyI767c4Y — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 23, 2025 Pat McAfee also chimed in, adding, ”We had Schotty in Indy, I loved him.” McAfee’s endorsement carries weight, considering his firsthand experience with Schottenheimer during his time with the Indianapolis Colts. What’s Next? Cowboys’ LB unit has tough road due to DeMarvion Overshown injury, Eric Kendricks’ free agency – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com What will the Cowboys LB room look like in 2025? Kendricks helped Zimmer save the day by swerving from his agreement to join the San Francisco 49ers and instead sign on with the Cowboys — the most important free agent signing last spring. Liufau being added in the draft was first met with a “why?” from those outside of the building, seeing as Overshown was slated to make his debut, but it all made sense before it was all said-and-done, as Overshown’s injury thrust Liufau to the forefront to become Robin to Kendricks’ Batman and, at times, looking like Batman himself. Nick Vigil, another Zimmer addition, became a special teams’ ace and, on the whole, the linebackers’ corps took huge strides forward in 2024 (mostly). But that was then, and this is now, and now there are new problems. Damone Clark is entering Year 4 and he’d like to take Year 3 out back and burn it, his season under Zimmer devolving into a string of healthy scratches that led to his worst season as a professional, cascading from 17 starts and 109 tackles in 2023 to only two starts and 28 tackles in 2024. That makes you wonder if he and the Cowboys will remain together for the year to come or if the former fifth-round pick will seek and be granted a fresh start elsewhere. Future: Overshown suffered a torn ACL to his other knee that not only ended his outstanding debut season, but all but guarantees he misses the start of the next one, and likely a chunk of the entire 2025 campaign. What that means is Liufau not only serves as the saving grace, but also that he might need help due to Kendricks heading to free agency. There will also be depth issues that could come to the surface due to free agency, seeing as both Vigil and practice squad linebacker
ESPN’s Mel Kiper mocks PFF’s ‘perfect 2024 draft prospect’ to Cowboys
ESPN’s Mel Kiper mocks PFF’s ‘perfect 2024 draft prospect’ to Cowboys K.D. Drummond It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys’ offense took a turn for the worse in 2024. With both QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb stuck in negotiations all offseason, the passing game was not firing on all cylinders to start the year. WR Brandin Cooks struggled through the start of the season dealing with a knee injury, and with third-year WR Jalen Tolbert failing to step up, things never gelled before Prescott was lost for the year with a hamstring injury. Cooks is now a free agent, and the offense will look a lot different with head coach Mike McCarthy not returning. The Cowboys will need some help to augment their passing game, and based on picking No. 12, wideout is going to be a position often assigned to them in mock drafts. ESPN’s Mel Kiper feels similarly. In his first mock exercise of 2025, he wedded Dallas to Missouri WR Luther Burden III. 12. Dallas Cowboys – Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri Yes, it’s a mock draft without Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty going to Dallas! I think it’s possible the Cowboys will take Jeanty, and there’s no arguing that they need a boost to the run game. But I imagine they’d first try to fix that hole in free agency. And regardless, this team has to find playmakers all over, period. Putting Burden’s valuable after-the-catch ability opposite CeeDee Lamb would open things up for Dak Prescott. Dallas has been looking for a reliable one-two receiver punch in the offense for a while; it hasn’t had two WRs over 700 receiving yards since 2021, when Amari Cooper was still in town. Burden has the explosive traits to change that. Kiper isn’t the only one who feels strongly about the pairing. On Thursday, Pro Football Focus went to work identifying the perfect 2024 draft prospect for each of the NFL’s 32 teams. Burden was the match for Dallas there as well. The Cowboys definitively have needs along their defensive roster, but Jerry Jones is as concerned with the Cowboys brand as much as he is winning and wants that brand to be exciting and on our television screens as much as possible, so adding an explosive offensive weapon to pair with CeeDee Lamb would do just that. While CeeDee Lamb played about half of his snaps out wide and half in the slot, Burden has played over 80% of his snaps out of the slot over the past two seasons. Burden is dangerous with the ball in his hands. He can be used on jet sweeps and screens to quickly get the ball to him and allow him to use his incredible acceleration to generate big plays. Burden has 25 touchdowns over the last three seasons, including four rushing touchdowns.
