The 2024 NFL Playoffs are well underway, and there have already been a handful of upsets in the Wildcard and Divisional rounds. The NFC East’s Washington Commanders are responsible for two of those upsets.
First, in the Wildcard round over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a game-ending field goal that doinked off of the upright, then they dominated the top-seeded Detroit Lions in dominating fashion, putting up a season-high 45 points on the road.
The bad news about their upset is that the team best-equipped to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles is no longer in the picture. Philadelphia has already defeated the Commanders twice during the regular season, and if the Los Angeles Rams can’t handle business at Lincoln Financial Field, the path to the Super Bowl for the Eagles looks wide open.
The good news is that Lions’ OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn are now available for the Cowboys to interview, and they should be two of a long list of candidates to be the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
I want to do something a little different today with the Cowboys head coach search. Let’s analyze which head coach candidates would be the best fit for current Cowboys star players on offense. Please take note that there have not been formal interviews with each candidate names in this article, and some names make the list purely out of speculation.
QB Dak Prescott
Best Fit: Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore
Much to the dismay of Cowboys Nation, Eagles OC Kellen Moore is one of the top candidates to replace Mike McCarthy as the new sheriff at The Star. Moore spent the final seasons of his playing career with the Cowboys, serving as backup quarterback to Tony Romo and Dak Prescott.
After retiring, he began his coaching ascension, eventually becoming offensive coordinator under head coaches Jason Garrett and Mike McCarthy. Like it or not, some of QB Dak Prescott’s best seasons came in Moore’s offense.
Here are the Cowboys’ offensive ranks each season with Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator and Dak Prescott under center: (ranks based on total offensive yardage)
- 2019 (1st)
- 2020 (14th) **Prescott missed 11 games with injury**
- 2021 (1st)
- 2022 (11th) **Prescott missed 5 games with injury**
With a healthy Dak Prescott, Moore’s offenses ranked #1. Now let’s look at Prescott’s ranks in yardage per game under Moore, and the past two seasons under McCarthy:
- 2019: 306.4 (3rd)
- 2020: 371.2 (1st) **5 games**
- 2021: 278.1 (7th)
- 2022: 238.3 (13th)
- 2023: 265.6 (5th)
- 2024: 247.3 (9th) **8 games**
Prescott’s best seasons came with Moore as his offensive coordinator and play-caller, and it might feel like dipping back into the same contaminated well, but it might be the best option for Dak Prescott.
WR CeeDee Lamb
Best Fit: Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson
WR CeeDee Lamb is the Cowboys’ most explosive offensive weapon, and it appeared that Mike McCarthy finally realized that in his final two seasons as play caller. In the past two seasons, Lamb has the following stat line:
- Targets: 333
- Receptions: 236
- Yards: 2,943
- Touchdowns: 18
Lamb ranks in the top-5 in all categories, and is one of the most feared players out of the slot in the NFL. McCarthy finally figured out how to exploit mismatches by using motion and elusive route concepts to get him open. Ben Johnson can take that to the next level.
Johnson is one of the most creative offensive minds in football, and if he comes in as the next head coach/play-caller for the Cowboys, that creativity will put Lamb in another echelon. He has put players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta in the NFL spotlight in Detroit.
The stars can be even brighter in Dallas, and CeeDee Lamb would shine brightest of all in Johnson’s offense.