Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Who wins the natty? Ohio State or Notre Dame? The College Football National Championship is tonight, between Ohio State and Notre Dame. This is an open thread for game chat.
5 players for Dallas fans to watch in the College National Championship game
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Dallas should keep an eye on where these players would fit for the Cowboys. It’s a rough week to be a Dallas Cowboys fan. Division rivals Washington and Philadelphia are in the NFC championship. This means that the Cowboys are the lone team in the NFC to have not made the conference championship since 1995, a bitter reality indeed. The Cowboys will use the 2025 NFL Draft to acquire players and improve their roster to try and catch their rivals, and the College Football National Championship is tonight. Like the rest of the country, the Cowboys will get an opportunity to see a good crop of players in tonight’s final as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish play against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tonight’s national title game affords the Cowboys front office and the fans a good look at players that could be taken by the Cowboys and help the team as soon as next season. Here are five players Cowboys fans should familiarize themselves with now before the draft process officially begins. Sonny Styles, Ohio State LB/S Styles is a hybrid player with the characteristics of a linebacker and a safety. He was recruited to Ohio State to play safety, but after injuries occurred, he was transitioned to play linebacker, and he looks good doing so. Think of how DeMarvion Overshown plays to understand what Syles would bring to the Cowboys’ defense. Except he’s a better coverage defender. Styles can easily carry tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield. Styles also could serve as an insurance policy for Overshown, who is recovering from another ACL injury. Still, if both are healthy, the pairing could be terrific with Marist Liufau in the mix. Styles is an underclassman and would have to declare for the draft to be eligible to be taken by the Cowboys. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson has electric speed. When you think of game-changers at running back, they can elevate teams like Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs, and it starts with having premier speed. Henderson has two extra gears. If you get the ball in his hands on outside zone runs or as a receiver, he’s a threat to take it the distance. Henderson broke Archie Griffin’s record for rushing yards in a single game with 277 yards in 2021. As he’s done at Ohio State, he can work in tandem to avoid a heavy workload and would work well in a committee with Rico Dowdle to give Dallas a backfield that’s much improved from what they have now. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State WR There’s a pattern here. The Cowboys have their core players being overexerted and being asked to carry too much of the burden for their position group. CeeDee Lamb fits that exactly. Oftentimes, Lamb was neutralized in games last season because he had no one else to draw the attention of the opposing defenses. He needs a running mate. His stats will always look good, but teams can gameplan against him without another premier weapon to minimize his impact. Looking at the roster, Brandin Cooks missed a lot of last season and is an unrestricted free agent. Jalen Tolbert has shown flashes but hasn’t proven he’s ready to be relied upon heavily as the secondary option. Egbuka has more than enough traits to pair nicely with CeeDee Lamb and alleviate the burden from Lamb. Egbuka is an outstanding route runner who wins from the outside or inside the slot and catches the ball well downfield. Xavier Watts, Notre Dame S If there is one area the Cowboys’ defense lacked in recent years, it was takeaways from the safety position. Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts is the type of guy to help with that. After not recording an interception in his first two seasons, Watts has gotten 13 in the last two years. Watts can also provide support as a run defender in addition to his coverage ability. Malik Hooker is heading into his ninth NFL season, so Dallas needs to get younger at safety. Watts could provide a bridge into the future as a starter for the team in a couple of years. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard could be a third-round pick or slide into the sixth round, depending on who you ask. Leonard doesn’t have elite arm strength and premier velocity, but that’s fine. He’s likely more of a developmental backup to begin his career than an immediate starter. Leonard does make good decisions with the ball, having thrown 43 touchdowns to 18 interceptions in his career. Leonard is also an underrated option as a runner. He set a career-high this season with 866 rushing yards. Leonard is thought to have excellent character and maturity. Dallas could be a very low-risk but useful draft pick. Honorable mention: Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame CB He won’t play because of an injury, but Morrison, if taken by Dallas, will come at a tremendous value. A cornerback is a sneaky need for the Cowboys. A position that might’ve looked like one of the strongest positions on the team is now a question mark. Former All-Pro Trevon Diggs played through an injury-plagued season that the Cowboys ultimately shut down prematurely and underwent bone graft surgery. DaRon Bland, another ex-All-Pro, battled a foot injury that kept him off the field past midway through the season, and when he came back, he wasn’t his same self. It’s alarming, to say the least. Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison was one of the best corners in the nation as early as a freshman at Notre Dame. He has excellent instincts to read patterns and mirror receivers. He’s very fluid and transitions easily from his backpedal into driving on the ball. Morrison also has good ball skills for disrupting receivers. He had season-ending surgery, but Dallas would be happy to get him after the first round in April.
Report: Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel lands with new team
Report: Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel lands with new team Todd Brock Mike McCarthy parted ways with the Cowboys organization last Monday. Now, one week later, one of his top coaches is officially gone, too. The Tennessee Titans are said to be hiring John Fassel to be their next special teams coordinator, per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. He is the first of the team’s assistants to depart after a disappointing 7-10 season and the end of McCarthy’s tenure. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports that the “Cowboys made a late push to keep Fassel” and suggested the uncertainty surrounding the current head coaching vacancy contributed to Fassel’s decision to take the job in Nashville. Fassel, 51, had served in the same capacity for Dallas since 2020, when he was one of the first hires made by McCarthy upon his arrival. The Cowboys’ special teams squads excelled under Fassel, with kicker Brandon Aubrey and kick return specialist KaVontae Turpin being among his notable projects. Both players were brought to Dallas from spring leagues and turned into All-Pros under Fassel’s tutelage. The longtime coordinator helped many of the team’s younger players succeed on special teams and work their way into roles with the regular offense and defense. The Cowboys’ punt and kick teams were consistently among the NFL’s best under the man nicknamed “Bones,” and while his tendencies for calling the trick play didn’t always succeed, they helped give Mike McCarthy’s teams an aggressive reputation as one of the league’s more dangerous teams, regardless of the field position or situation. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Fassel had previously been on staff with the Ravens, Raiders, and Rams before coming to Dallas. He also served as the Rams’ interim head coach for the final three games of the 2016 season after the firing of Jeff Fisher.
7 Former Cowboys players will be playing in the NFC championship game
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images Several former Cowboys will be playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. We don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but the Dallas Cowboys have the longest conference championship drought in the NFL. Yay! Finally, the team’s inability to make a playoff run can be singled out in a record that only belongs to them. Is life wonderful? While the Cowboys endure another conference championship-less season, the same is not true for some former players who once wore the star. Some players left Dallas for more money, some left to be with a former coach, and some didn’t have a choice as they were traded away. Regardless, a change in scenery has put them in a position to play for the chance to go to the Super Bowl next weekend. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4) There is no surprise that the Washington Commanders have the most former Cowboys since many of them followed Dan Quinn when he left. Dante Fowler was the splashiest player, leading his new team with 10 sacks on the year. Dorance Armstrong has been a little more quiet, but he sure made noise on Saturday with two sacks against the Lions. And Noah Igbinoghene has been holding down the cornerback position for them. You might remember Igbinoghene as the player the Cowboys got in return from the Miami Dolphins when they traded away Kevin Joseph. He also scored the Cowboy’s first touchdown of the season last year in the opener when Juanyeh Thomas blocked a field goal. On the offensive side, former Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz is their starting center. Wide receiver Noah Brown isn’t included in this list, but he’s been catching passes from Jayden Daniels this year before he suffered an injury last month. BUFFALO BILLS (2) The often-traded Amari Cooper joined the Buffalo Bills midseason after a trade with the Cleveland Browns. He only averaged 37 yards per game across eight games with Buffalo this season. In true Cooper fashion, he sometimes fades into irrelevancy or is unavailable because of injury. He was quiet last week and didn’t do much on Sunday against Baltimore. The Bills also picked up defensive tackle Jordan Phillips in November a day after he was released by the Cowboys. You might remember that Dallas gave the New York Giants a sixth-round pick for Phillips in August, but he only played two games with the Cowboys. He was a complete nonfactor in Dallas and only lasted long enough to satisfy the requirement of the conditional pick they gave up. Phillips isn’t splashy, but he does his part with some big-body pushback in the trenches. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1) Rather than releasing Peyton Hendershot, the Cowboys traded him to Kansas City for a conditional seventh-round pick. After playing in the season opener, the Chiefs waived Hendershot who was signed to the practice squad a couple of days later. He’s been active for a handful of games this year and has five catches on the season. He played sparingly on Saturday against the Texans with most of his snaps coming on special teams. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (0) The Eagles don’t have any former Cowboys players because no respectable Cowboys player would consider such treachery. That may not be the actual reason, but that’s how it is. Dallas Goedert is the closest they got. The last former Cowboys player Philly had was Robert Quinn back in 2022. It appears there’s no reason to discuss anyone on their team, so we won’t. Last year, four former Cowboys players made it to the conference championship game: Randy Gregory (49ers) Charvarius Ward (49ers) Brent Urban (Ravens) Blake Bell (Chiefs)
Cowboys’ 2025 free agent profile: DE Carl Lawson
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images The Cowboys should bring back Carl Lawson. The Dallas Cowboys have a long list of unrestricted 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 as we examine a player who was one of the most pleasant surprises on Dallas’ 2024 roster, defensive end Carl Lawson. Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images 2024 Regular Season Stats: 15G, 27 Total Pressures, 15 QB Hurries, 6 QB Hits, 6.0 Sacks, 9.4 Pass-Rush Win% Year Review: Veteran defensive end Carl Lawson waited late in the summer to sign with a team for the 2024 campaign. After playing the past two seasons with the New York Jets, Lawson went unsigned as a free agent until mid-August, when the Cowboys signed the veteran to a one-year deal. Dallas signed Lawson to beef up their pass rush group that suffered a significant blow when third-year-pro Sam Williams went down with a season-ending injury early in training camp. The 29-year-old did not see the field much during the first four weeks of the regular season, but when both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence went down in Week 4, Lawson was immediately thrust into a much more significant role. Over Dallas’ final 13 regular season games, Lawson recorded 24 total pressures and six sacks, tied for the third-highest in a single season during his career. Lawson recorded two or more pressures in eight of those final 13 games, and his 9.4% pass-rush win rate was the third-best on Dallas’ defense throughout the entire season. Overall, Lawson turned out to be a great, low-risk signing for the Cowboys. The veteran had a big-time bounce-back year and was a key part of Dallas’ pass rush improvement in the second half of the season. Free Agency Outlook: Lawson’s 2024 performance has helped assure he’ll certainly earn more than the one-year, $1.1M deal he signed with the Cowboys last August. While it’s still unlikely a team is willing to commit more than two years to the veteran, he’ll have a chance to at least double, and maybe triple, his AAV from his Dallas deal when he hits the open market. A comparable deal to what Lawson may end up agreeing to this offseason is the contract signed by former Cowboy Dante Fowler Jr. last March. Coming off a season where he recorded 36 total pressure and five sacks, Fowler agreed to a one-year, $3.2M contract with the Washington Commanders. Lawson’s 2024 performance is similar to what Fowler achieved in Dallas during the 2023 season, and the duo will be the same age when they hit free agency. There’s a very good chance Lawson will earn a very similar contract this spring. Cowboys Verdict: A few weeks back, Lawson spoke publicly about being “100 percent” open to re-signing with the Cowboys in free agency. Considering he’s formed “bonds that are gonna last a lifetime” in Dallas, those having been formed in the crucible of adversity, might Lawson’s “where” be in a Cowboys uniform in 2025? He’s certainly open to the idea. “Oh, one hundred percent,” he said. “One hundred percent.” A reunion makes plenty of sense for both sides. Re-signing Lawson wouldn’t require a long-term commitment from the Cowboys, and having him back would help their pass rush depth in a big way. Dallas is potentially looking at losing both DeMarcus Lawrence and Osa Odighizuwa in free agency, meaning they’ll need to do anything they can to retain affordable pass rushers like Lawson. With Lawson interested in returning and the Cowboys needing to secure roster depth, there seems to be a good shot the veteran will be back in Dallas next season. Prediction: Carl Lawsons signs a one-year, $3.5M deal with the Dallas Cowboys
Why a new head coach isn’t enough to turn a 7-win team into a contender again
Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images The Cowboys are looking for a new head coach, but that hardly guarantees them anything. Many Dallas Cowboys fans are at least moderately excited about the prospect of getting a new coaching staff assembled. But the historical record of coaching changes on seven-win teams does not bode well for the 2025 Cowboys, especially given how prone this front office is to thinking that whatever changes (or the absence of changes, see 2024) they made one season will automatically elevate the franchise to contenders the next season. Between the introduction of the salary cap in 1994 (to use a random but relevant data point in league history) and 2024, 20 teams fired/exchanged their head coach after a seven-win season, and there’s some sobering stuff to be gleaned from looking at the historical record of those coaching changes. Only five of the 20 teams (25%) improved to a winning record the following year. Four teams (20%) either remained stuck at seven wins or improved to a Jason Garrett signature eight-win season the following year. 11 teams (55%) finished the following season with a worse record, despite the coaching change. Yikes! And it gets even worse for the Cowboys: Only three teams made the playoffs with a new coach after their seven-win season, and only one team (the 2013 Chargers) won a playoff game after a seven-win season and a coaching change. Here’s the full data set. Wins in season after 7-win season and changing the head coach, 1994-2024 Wins 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 No. of teams 3 — 2 3 3 1 3 4 — 1 When you fire the head coach (or let him walk, or don’t renew his contract, or whatever narrative floats your boat), it’s often because the entire organization failed, and not just the one guy at the top of the coaching organization chart. When you’re looking to fix that organization, you’re going to have to look at more than just the coaching. Because if you don’t, history suggests you’ll quickly find yourself back in the position you wanted to get out of in the first place. But while firing Mike McCarthy was the right decision (even if long overdue), it combines with Dak’s injury (and the many other injuries) to provide the Cowboys with waaaay too many convenient excuses for everything that went sideways with the Cowboys last season, and thus provides carte blanche for the Cowboys to continue doing business as usual elsewhere. In Dallas, the general thinking seems to be that changing out the coaching staff and getting key players back healthy should be enough to (again) be a Super Bowl contender despite the evidence above to the contrary. And as such the Cowboys front office is probably okay with thinking that an offense that averaged just 21 points with its star quarterback in eight games in 2024 just needs to establish the run a little more and everything will fall into place. a defense that ranked 28th in defensive passer rating and 31st in points allowed just needs a second year of Mike Zimmer fairy dust to become a Top 10 unit. a defensive line that ranked 28th in rushing yards per attempt just needs to invest in some over-the-hill free agent defensive tackles and you’ll be a lock for the next NFC Championship game. a scouting department that brought in Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook to help out in the running game, traded a fourth for Jonathan Mingo, and has an increasingly spotty draft record should be rewarded by giving its boss another extension. a franchise worth $11 billion dollars can get by with a shoddy training room (ranked 26th among all NFL teams in a players survey) and an undermanned training staff (30th) because, hey, we’re America’s Team! an analytics department that may have had a big impact internally but didn’t have any noticeable impact on McCarthy’s game calling or game management or any other aspect of the product the team put on the field each week just needs an extra year to show its impact. a front office with a track record of unnecessarily prolonging contract negotiations should continue to be entrusted to do whatever it is they are doing. a cap manager who thinks he “has a good feel for the salary cap” and could create $85 million in cap space with a few simple restructures next year (and up to $120 million with max restructures, the fifth highest value in the league) should be allowed to continue doing his thing without bringing in some external expertise that understands it’s not 1995 anymore. an organization that thinks it went “all-in” and ended up at 7-10 can continue doing business as usual and doesn’t really need to change much. From now on, I’ll speak my truth about the Cowboys.., whether it’s good or bad. Jerry has built a great brand, and now it’s time for the team to start winning. It’s time for a real culture shift. I’m fed up with all the nepotism..get someone in there who can win games… — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) January 19, 2025 The Cowboys are hoping that the personnel change on the coaching side can provide new impulses to an organization that may have gone stale. And they may be right. But I bet that’s what all 20 of the teams mentioned above thought too, and it didn’t exactly work out too well for them. The Cowboys can beat the odds, but they can’t just hope that shaking up the coaching staff will automatically improve things. They need to attack the entire offseason with a level of urgency and accountability that we haven’t seen in Dallas in a long time. Every team makes mistakes in the draft and in free agency. Not all draft picks pan out the way they were expected to. Not all free agents deliver a performance commensurate with the money you spent on them. Not all new coaching hires
Cowboys news: Deion Sanders likely not in the running for Dallas HC, no interview scheduled
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s team. Rumored Cowboys Coaching Candidate Seemingly Now Out of the Running – Jovan Alford, SportDFW It was a long shot to begin with. On Saturday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided an update on the Cowboys’ coaching search and it doesn’t look like Coach Prime will be making his way to Dallas anytime soon. Rapoport said the two sides do not have a formal interview scheduled yet, and he would be surprised if an interview ever happens. The NFL insider also added that Sanders is still in contract negotiations with Colorado “to potentially get a big-time extension.” Based on Rapoport’s latest update, Cowboys fans should not get their hopes up for Sanders to become the next head coach. In theory, it’s an exciting idea, but fans should look at other targets until Dallas formally requests an interview with Sanders. The Cowboys could look to interview Detroit Lions coordinators Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson now with the Lions being eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night. What was looking like a terrible gamble by Jones and the Cowboys, Dallas could end up with a solid head coach hire. Dan Quinn’s success puts Joneses’ missteps in the spotlight, Cowboys weigh in on Twitter- Jazz Monet, Cowboys Wire The 2024 Dallas Cowboys season continues to look worse. 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? Latest Kellen Moore coaching rumors could be terrifying for Cowboys fans – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat It was a good week for former Cowboys coordinators. According to Joseph Hoyt of DLLS, Moore has already reached out to coaches about joining his potential staff. Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS added that some of those assistants used to work for the Cowboys. There is a lot to take away from that. For starters, every head coaching candidate obviously should have some idea of who they want to join their staff. A candidate would be laughed out of the room or Zoom meeting if they interviewed without presenting some names. It’s not necessarily “news” that Moore is working the phones, but it is noteworthy. This all but confirms that Moore is a serious candidate for the job. The nugget about Moore reaching out to former Cowboys coaches is particularly alarming. Some members of Mike McCarthy’s staff could be in contention, but let’s dive a little deeper than that. Lions playoff loss expands the Cowboys head coach search – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star Make a couple of calls, Jerry. With the Lions’ loss, both Glenn and another top-tier coach are fully available, and Dallas could look to take advantage of that development. We’re approaching the time when the Cowboys’ head coach vacancy should be filled, and things could heat up quickly if they consider Detroit’s coordinators. With that in mind, let’s discuss the chances they are brought in and the reasons why this could work. Aaron Glenn: Top Defensive Mind In Dallas? Don’t let that high-scoring game against Washington fool you: Glenn is the best defensive coach Dallas could hire, and he could elevate that unit to one of the best in football. As a former defensive backs coach, and cornerback in the NFL, Glenn’s knowledge, experience, and developmental skills could be huge for Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Caelen Carson. In addition to that, we’re talking about a native Texan who played in Dallas with the star on his helmet for two seasons. Glenn would command the locker room, bring a much-needed culture change, bolster the defense, and have the experience of being a Cowboys’ player to relate to the guys under him as the head coach. If Dallas wants to really make an impact with this next hire, bringing in Aaron Glenn could get them there. Toughness is needed, and he’d bring it. Cowboys’ 2025 free agent profile: CB Jourdan Lewis – Matthew Holleran, Blogging The Boys In non-coaching-related news. 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. AD 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
Immediate Cowboys implications of Saturday’s playoffs
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.
