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.

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

Dan Quinn’s success puts Joneses’ missteps in the spotlight, Cowboys weigh in on Twitter Jazz Monet You know that moment when you break up with someone, and at first, you feel justified? Maybe they weren’t the right fit. Maybe you thought you could do better. Maybe you believed they had maxed out their potential with you. Then, a year or two later, you see them thriving—happier, more successful, reaching goals they only talked about when they were with you. And suddenly, everyone is looking at you, wondering what went wrong. That’s the Dallas Cowboys right now. On Saturday night, former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn led his new team, the Washington Commanders, to a dominant 45-31 win over the Detroit Lions, punching their ticket to the NFC Championship. That’s a stage the Cowboys haven’t reached since January 14, 1996. With the win, Washington ended what was the NFC’s longest championship-game appearance drought—only to hand off the dubious title to the Cowboys. Before the Commanders’ confetti even hit the ground, Cowboys Nation was already pointing out the irony. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis kept it subtle, tweeting: “No way DQ left and immediately did this.” Those eight words elicited hundreds of replies and reposts (and counting), all echoing the same sentiment: What does Quinn’s success say about the Cowboys failures as an organization? Former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant was more direct, telling fans not to expect Dallas to turn things around anytime soon because the franchise is more focused on politics than winning. That sentiment has been gaining traction all postseason, especially after a viral clip of Magic Johnson explaining the Commanders’ success. The new Washington co-owner, standing with managing partner Josh Harris, summed it up like this: “What does it take? New vision. New owner with a strategy. Picking the right people. First our coach, Coach [Dan] Quinn, Adam Peters, and then we all step out of the way and let them do their jobs.” For Cowboys fans, that hit close to home. Revisiting the relationship analogy, this is Dan Quinn’s new boo out here saying the quiet part out loud—listing all the things that supposedly made the old relationship impossible. The idea that Cowboys leadership meddles too much in football decisions has long been debated, but this season, the whispers became a roar. Now, with Dallas searching for its next head coach, the pressure is on. Because once everyone is convinced you are the problem, the only way to prove otherwise is to show you’ve finally learned from your mistakes.

2025 Free Agency: Former 3rd-round pick will be Cowboys toughest decision of all Mike Crum On most teams, Osa Odighizuwa would’ve already been extended. For the Dallas Cowboys, cap space is king, and their former third-round pick might be too costly for them to bring back. Last offseason, Nnamdi Madubuike received a contract worth nearly $25 million a season. Odighizuwa is the top defensive tackle scheduled to hit the market, and it’s expected he will receive a contract along those same lines. Dallas already has the claim to paying both the highest QB salary, as well as , with Micah Parsons likely to be the highest-paid non-QB when he signs his deal. The Cowboys must be sure they are getting what they pay for when they sign any other player to a top-end contract. The team needs to compare what Odighizuwa has done to other players paid in that range. Derrick Brown and Alim McNeil were injured this season, and Quinnen Williams lost his coach early on. Still, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons, DeForest Buckner, and Madubuike all make between 21 and 25 million on average per season, so how does Odighizuwa match up? In the analytics department, Odighizuwa is as good as any defensive tackle in football. Over the last two seasons, he averaged 11.5 QB hits, 35 hurries, and 51.5 pressures. Buckner, Madubuike, Simmons, and Lawrence averaged 6.5 QB hits, 29 hurries, and 43 pressures in the previous four seasons. Odighizuwa doesn’t have the production metrics of those four, though, trailing them significantly in sacks, tackles for loss and stops, despite them averaging 60 fewer snaps per season than he does. If that were the most significant difference between Odighizuwa and other top defensive tackles, the decision to pay him would be no problem, but other things separate him as well. Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades Odighizuwa lower overall. Their overall grades were mostly over 80, and he was 68.1. His pass rush grade was slightly higher, 78.5 to 77.5, but he fell off entirely in run defense. They combined for a 73.4 grade; Odighizuwa’s was only 50.8. Odighizuwa has an average missed tackle rate of 15% over the previous two years, including 17.4% in 2024, while they have a 6.1% rate. In addition to considering fit with whomever ends up in charge of their defense, Dallas must weigh Odighizuwa’s ability to win at the line of scrimmage and impact the opposing quarterback better than most interior pass rusher in the NFL. Will that lead to more production as he hits his prime, or will the production as a pass rusher never come to fruition, combined with a lack of run defense? You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social

Here’s the dirty little secret about the Cowboys coaching search reidhanson When it comes to coaching searches, the Dallas Cowboys are in a class all their own. That is meant as both a compliment and an insult. The Cowboys have the distinction of being the only team in the NFL with a singular entity serving as the owner, president and general manager. With three of the owner’s offspring positioned under him in various positions of the franchise, it’s safe to say it’s an extremely unique dynamic in Dallas. So, when the Cowboys set out to hire the most high-profile organizational leader of the team, the head coach, they need to know that person can survive in that extra-special environment they’ve created. People want to know why premium coaching candidates like Joe Brady and Ben Johnson don’t get pushed to the front of Dallas’ interview list. As inexperienced head coaches with no ties to the Cowboys, they are simply too wild cardy for the Cowboys to risk hiring. It’s why the Cowboys hone in on guys like Kellen Moore, Aaron Glenn, Deion Sanders and Jason Witten. Those former players understand the environment in Dallas. In fact, Moore understands it as a player, as a position coach, and as a coordinator. Is it a coincidence he’s the current frontrunner? Familiarity means something because the hierarchy, culture and work dynamic are incomparable in Dallas. Adding to the Cowboys’ uniqueness is the amount of media exposure America’s Team commands. Short of a contending Giants team, a Tom Brady-led Patriots squad or a dominant 49ers team, no other franchise comes close to media pressure the Cowboys face on a daily basis. Ownership doesn’t just allow it, ownership invites it. In lean times, ownership begs for it. Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier are two coaches who the Cowboys have kicked the tires on this offseason, but lack the requisite ties.  They differ from the others listed above because they have head coaching experience to go with their years and years of coordinator experience. They are known entities to the Cowboys, so they are less of a gamble than those high-profile candidates who lack skins on the wall. The Cowboys most recent coach, Mike McCarthy, falls into this category. Jason Garrett falls into the homegrown category. Things currently point to the former category as the Cowboys’ top focus this cycle. That could change, but as of today, it’s where the Cowboys appear to be targeting. It’s understandable that many NFL fans are wondering why the Cowboys aren’t interested in the top coaching candidates this cycle. It’s an honest inquiry but one easily explainable by the Cowboys’ unique leadership structure and high-profile work environment. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

What would a Cowboys offense under Kellen Moore look like this go-round? reidhanson The Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a new head coach and the candidate who leads many odds lists at the moment is Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator for the Eagles. Cowboys fans will obviously remember Moore for his eight years playing and coaching in Dallas. From 2019 through 2022, Moore served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator.  During that time he led the Dallas offense into the top 10 on three different occasions. His offense led the NFL in total yards two different times and the team posted 12 wins two different times. With a healthy Dak Prescott, Moore had the Cowboys consistently positioned in elite territory. The two years that followed his departure from Dallas, Moore served as coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers (2023) and Philadelphia Eagles (2024). He led the Chargers offense to a No. 17 ranking and the Eagles to a No. 6 ranking (EPA/play). At age 35, Moore is one of the brightest young minds in the NFL today. To Jerry Jones and his coaching search, he’s a familiar face with upside. Cowboys fans haven’t generally been excited about the proposition of a Moore reunion. Citing the many curl routes to nowhere and underwhelming route combinations, they would rather look at new blood for the head coaching position than bring back someone who, in their eyes, already tried and failed. Other Cowboys fans, those who remember the times of plenty under Moore, are excited about the idea of their old coach coming back. They see what he’s accomplished with the Eagles this season and would love nothing more than to repeat that success in Dallas. Determining which side of the fanbase is right and which side is wrong would probably be simplifying a rather complex issue. Moore isn’t the same coach he was when he left the Cowboys back in 2023, just like he’s wasn’t the same coach he was with the Chargers when he went to Philadelphia, nor will he be the same coach he’s been with the Eagles if he comes to Dallas. Moore is a mixture of styles. He’s part Air Coryell and part West Coast but also a little bit of Kyle Shanahan. Like most young coaches he’s been influenced by the men he’s worked under and like most, he’s searching for ways to blend and apply that knowledge. Based on this, it’s hard to be too upset or too excited about the type of offense he’d bring back to Dallas, because no one truly knows what it would look like. Moore traditionally tailors his attack to lean on the pieces he has available to him. All coaches do that to some extent, but Moore seems especially mailable to the circumstances of his team. In Moore’s last two seasons in Dallas his pass frequency over expected sat at -2 percent, meaning he ran at a rate above expectations. In LA that flipped to +1 percent, likely because the Chargers running game was poor. With the Eagles he’s at a staggering -8 percent. A number that’s not overly surprising since Saquon Barkley is one of the most dominant runners in the game. Moore wants to run the ball, but looking at his history, he bases the frequency on the effectiveness. He’s not one to run the ball just for the sake of running the ball. Moore historically likes to have his quarterback play under center more often than others, he uses larger personnel groups more often than normal, and he uses motion more often than normal. He spreads the ball around in the passing game and avoids feeding just one player. He’s not one to use play-action a ton but when the ground game is humming and the wide zone is cracking, his offense can look like a Shanahan offense in many ways. Moore still calls frustrating plays where it appears every route reaches a dead-end at the exact same time, but he’s much more than that. He’s an evolving coach with upside, creativity, and an open mind working to his advantage. Moore might not be Joe Brady, or Ben Johnson, but he’s one of the most intriguing young minds on the coaching market this season and as someone who’s so unsettled in his development, he’s also a bit of a wild card. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Report: Next RB coach in Dallas could be one of these 2 former Cowboys Todd Brock The Cowboys will dive head-first into their head coaching search in earnest this weekend as Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh, and Leslie Frazier are set to officially interview over the next few days. Of course, that will do little to quell the rumors about top coordinators whose teams are still in the postseason- like Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson- or other notable celebrities like Deion Sanders, Bill Belichick, and even Jason Witten. But there’s going to be a shakeup involving much, if not most, of the rest of the Cowboys coaching staff, too. And that means the Joneses are weighing candidates for much more than just the top job. New potential coordinators and position coaches are likely going to be coming through the doors of The Star in short order. And it sounds as if a few of them will be, just like several of the head coaching prospects, familiar faces within Cowboys Nation. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has revealed that two former Cowboys stars could be vying for the same role on the new staff. Tashard Choice and DeMarco Murray are said to be under consideration for the role of running backs coach, Harris said during an appearance on The Zach Gelb Show. Both were successful ballcarriers for the team in the Wade Phillips/Jason Garrett era. Choice is currently the running backs coach at Texas, a job he’s held since 2022. He served the same role at Georgia Tech and North Texas prior to that. GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 25: Runningback Tashard Choice #23 of the Dallas Cowboys rushes the football against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 25, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Cowboys 27-26. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) A fourth-round draft pick by Dallas in 2008, Choice played for the team for three-plus seasons, but he was largely overshadowed by Marion Barber III and Felix Jones for most of his tenure. He compiled 1,139 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry wearing the star. He went on to play for Washington, Buffalo, and Indianapolis before wrapping up his playing career in 2013. By 2016, he was back in Dallas, on the staff as an intern to begin his coaching journey. With the Longhorns, Choice was instrumental in helping to develop Bijan Robinson into a Doak Walker Award winner and a top-ten draft pick. Murray’s arrival and rapid rise in 2011 as a third-round pick, ironically, was the spark that sent Choice packing out of Dallas. The 6-foot-1-inch back started his rookie season as the Cowboys’ third-stringer but finished as the team’s top rusher, a title he would keep for four straight years. He holds the franchise’s single-season record for rushing yards with the league-leading 1,845-yard effort he put up in 2014. Murray also earned an All-Pro nod and was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year during that sensational 12-4 season. Nov 28, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) carries the ball against the Oakland Raiders during a NFL football game on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Murray made the Pro Bowl two out of his four seasons in Dallas before entering the free agent pool in 2015. He played one lackluster year in Philadelphia but then landed in Tennessee, where he returned to Pro Bowl form in 2016 with another 1,000-yard season. He retired from playing after the 2017 season. Murray is in the NFL’s top 75 in all-time rushing yards and remains the Cowboys’ No. 7 all-time leading rusher. Like Choice, Murray returned to the college ranks to coach running backs; he spent 2019 in Arizona and has been with his alma mater of Oklahoma since 2020. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Jerry Jones loves to bring popular former players back to the Cowboys, as he’s shown repeatedly over the years. It’s not inconceivable that Moore (or maybe even Sanders) ends up as the team’s head coach in 2025, and Harris confirms that “it is a widespread expectation that [Witten] is going to be on staff in some capacity.” Now it appears that either Choice or Murray could be back on the Cowboys payroll as well.

Mike McCarthy’s time with the Dallas Cowboys has officially ended, and no matter who’s to blame in the mutual parting of ways, the search is on for a new head coach. With a normal organization that’s serious about winning, this would include exploring every option and bringing in the best candidates. However, based on the names currently being tossed around, Jerry Jones isn’t likely to do that, he’d rather look into coaches he’s comfortable hiring. We’re only a few days into the search and the Cowboys have already screwed up the process of hiring a new coach. This isn’t surprising, the Cowboys have gotten notoriously cheap with their coaches, and Jones’ need to be involved in everything can limit the impact of a possible hire. Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman might have been right when he explained that being head coach for America’s Team might not be a coveted job in the NFL these days. Comfortable and cheap isn’t the ideal way to find the best coach, but it seems to be the sweet spot for Jones. Here are five ways the Cowboys have made a mess of their coaching search. Keeping Mike McCarthy beyond expiration date Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports This failure of the Cowboys to find the right coach didn’t begin with a 7-10 season led by McCarthy, it started last January when the Green Bay Packers dominated the Cowboys in the playoffs. Instead of holding the coach responsible for another early playoff exit, Jones decided to keep McCarthy when most football people likely would’ve fired him. There were reasons for keeping McCarthy. Winning 12 games three years in a row, winning two NFC East titles, and making the postseason every time you’ve had a healthy quarterback makes a valid case for sticking with the coach. However, the team struggled to beat good teams and never got out of the divisional round of the playoffs. A 1-3 playoff record where all three losses were in an embarrassing fashion should have been enough to look for another coaching option. The object shouldn’t be to make the playoffs, it should be to win the Super Bowl and it was evident McCarthy wasn’t capable of that in January of 2024. Not extending McCarthy Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Not only did Jones keep McCarthy around, but he failed to extend the coach, making him a lame duck heading into the last year of his contract. McCarthy and many of the coaching staff assembled were on one-year deals, which is not ideal. Also, with Jerry and Stephen Jones knowing they were likely going to sit out of free agency last offseason, they made McCarthy one of the fall guys if a disappointing 2024 campaign should occur, which ultimately happened. The team could’ve been one year ahead of their soft rebuild with their coach in place instead of being behind the curve. Again, not ideal for an 82-year-old owner who doesn’t have the time to be patient. Not extending McCarthy also sends a bad message to potential candidates that Jones has now let three straight coaches reach the end of their deals. It happened to Jason Garrett twice, although he got a new deal coming off the 2014 season, and now McCarthy. If the organization isn’t willing to commit to its coach, why would any potential hire want to work for Jones? Waiting a week to let McCarthy walk away Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. In doing the will-he-or-won’t-he-be-back dance with McCarthy for a week, the Cowboys missed out on a week’s worth of interviews they could have been doing with some of the top candidates. The Detroit Lions coaches in particular, should have been of interest, but now they Cowboys will have to wait until the Lions are out of the playoffs to interview them if they want to hire offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. By waiting, both have interviewed for other jobs and the Cowboys are behind in pursuit. There are other candidates that have already spoken to other teams or taken other jobs as well. Mike Vrabel was hired by the New England Patriots, or he might have been a strong option in Dallas, and the same can be said for Bill Belichick, who took a college coaching job a few weeks ago. Had the Cowboys moved quicker in agreeing to move on without McCarthy, or indicated to Belichick that he was an option, they wouldn’t be searching for a worse candidate right now. Granted these are assumptions based on publicly available info, but those conversations should have been ongoing towards the end of the season, and it should have been known right away whether the team and McCarthy could still work together. A week was wasted, valuable time when considering the college bowls and scouting process is about to kick into high gear without much direction from a coaching staff. Reaching out to Deion Sanders Jackson State University head coach Deion Sanders during a Sept. 5 game. With a bevy of names the Cowboys could hire floating around immediately after McCarthy and the team parted ways, the first name to be tied to the job was Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. The former Cowboy has enjoyed a good run as a head coach at Jackson State and Colorado in college football, but he’s not a fit for the NFL. In college, Sanders can choose his own players and is more of a motivator than an X’s and O’s coach. He wouldn’t be able to recruit players and use the portal to get guys to come to his team in the NFL. And as good of a job as Sanders does at building hype, he’s got just a 13-12 record since arriving at the FBS level. When Jones hired college coaches in previous situations, those hires arrived with national titles in hand. Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer were elite college coaches with much better resumes than Sanders. He would be perfect

Cowboys to interview former Vikings head coach with lengthy NFL resume Todd Brock After word circulated Wednesday that the Cowboys had an interest in speaking with former Jets skipper Robert Saleh about their top job, a second name popped up: another longtime defensive strategist with head coaching experience on his extensive résumé. Current Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier has been requested for an interview with Dallas to take place next week, perhaps as early as Monday. That news was first reported by ESPN’s Todd Archer. Frazier, who will turn 66 in April, began his NFL career as a cornerback for the Chicago Bears in the early 1980s and was a member of the legendary 1985 defense that led the franchise to its only Super Bowl victory. He segued to coaching shortly after his playing days were done, launching the football program at Trinity International University of the NAIA in 1988 and winning two conference titles in nine seasons. Two years at Illinois followed as defensive backs coach before he made a jump to the NFL. Frazier started with the Eagles as DB coach for four years, then moved to Cincinnati to be defensive coordinator for another two. A two-year stint in Indianapolis- and a Super Bowl win as the Colts’ assistant head coach- followed before he landed in Minnesota. With the Vikings, he graduated from defensive coordinator to assistant head coach to interim head coach and then finally the official replacement for Brad Childress in 2011. Frazier held that post for three campaigns before he was eventually fired, having logged an overall mark of 21-32-1 as the team’s head coach. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Frazier moved to Tampa for two years as DC and then did a season as Baltimore’s secondary coach before making his way to Buffalo. The Bills’ DC for three seasons, he then added assistant head coach to his job title in 2020 and maintained those responsibilities until the conclusion of the 2022 season. Frazier took a year off in 2023, to concentrate on prepping himself for what he hoped would be a head coaching opportunity somewhere. “It’s forced me to broaden my horizons a little bit,” Frazier told CBS Sports last January as the 2024 hiring cycle began, “looking at the league from a global standpoint as opposed to just a team that I’m on and just the opponent that we’re getting prepared for. It’s forced me to see the league in its entirety and it’s helped me to get more involved in some of the angles that allow you to win.” Frazier did make a return to the sidelines in 2024… but once again as an assistant head coach. This time it was in Seattle under new man Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks finished 10-7, good for second place in the NFC West, but they did not make the playoffs. Though he has not held a head coaching position since 2013, Frazier has been active on the interview circuit in the years since. The Colts, Giants, Bears, Texans, and Dolphins have all had sit-downs with him. And now Dallas.