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Todd Archer, ESPN writer
FRISCO, Texas — Jerry Jones has tried all kinds of coaches with the Dallas Cowboys.
The first, Jimmy Johnson, came from college. So did his second, Barry Switzer. They won three Super Bowls between them. Jones then immersed himself in the offensive coordinator group with Chan Gailey, who made the playoffs in each of his two seasons. Jones moved up from within with Dave Campo, who went 5-11 in three straight years.
Then the owner and general manager made a big move and brought in Bill Parcells, who had won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. He then went the defensive coordinator route in Wade Phillips, and moved up from within again with Jason Garrett, whom he viewed as his Tom Landry.
After nine full seasons under Garrett, Jones returned to a Super Bowl-winning coach in Mike McCarthy, who is leaving after five seasons.
Now Jones is looking for another head coach as the Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought reaches 29 years after a 7-10 finish in 2024.
What direction could I choose now?
Nowadays, it seems like coaches fall into categories of offensive-minded, defensive-minded, or male leaders.
Considering the state of the Cowboys’ roster, an offensive-minded head coach would make sense.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will turn 32 in July. He is coming off surgery to repair an avulsion in his right hamstring, but appears to be ready for the start of the offseason program. He is also entering the first year of the four-year, $240 million contract extension he agreed to hours before the start of the season.
Maximizing the quarterback has always been a priority for Jones. When Tony Romo was the quarterback, the Cowboys were “Romo friends.” They then became “friendly with Dak”.
Any offensive-minded head coach, like former Cowboys and current Eagles coordinator Kellen Moore, would look to maximize Prescott.
And for those who forget, Prescott had a team-high 37 touchdown passes and Moore called the plays in 2022. If Moore were a coach, then Prescott would be running the same offense for the better part of a decade instead of learning a new scheme. under a new coach.
CeeDee Lamb signed a four-year, $134 million extension that made him the second-highest-paid receiver in the NFL. It would make sense to find an offensive mind to continue maximizing his skill set.
Regardless of the direction the Cowboys take, the defense would be looking for its third coordinator in three years if Mike Zimmer doesn’t return. When asked if he wanted to continue coaching in 2025, Zimmer demurred at the end of the season. Their unit improved as the year went on, but still finished near the bottom in points (355.2, 28th) and yards (28.5, 31st) allowed per game.
Micah Parsons’ skills make the Cowboys’ job intriguing. The edge rusher can ruin games on his own, but the Cowboys face an offseason in which key contributors, such as CB Jourdan Lewis, LB Eric Kendricks, DT Osa Odighizuwa and DE Chauncey Golston, could leave as free agents, while cornerback Trevon Diggs and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown are recovering from serious knee injuries.
There could be a serious shakeup of the defense, which would put a lot at stake for a defensive-minded coach beyond overseeing the entire team in his first year.
An offensive coach would allow the Cowboys to keep the focus on Prescott and Lamb while having a defensive coordinator fully immersed in a new scheme with new personnel. McCarthy always chose a defensive coordinator with head coaching experience (Mike Nolan, Dan Quinn, Zimmer) to understand the full scale of game operations.
It’s possible the Cowboys continue that trend with an offensive-minded head coach.
But this is the Cowboys and this is Jones.
Everything is possible.
