The Dallas Cowboys are in the middle of a head coach search for the first time since 2020, and just the second time in the past 15 years. Out is Mike McCarthy after Jerry Jones let his contract expire after five years.
Not even that process went smoothly. Jones declined the Chicago Bears’ request to interview McCarthy, only to fail to come to an agreement over a week later.
It’s no surprise that the Cowboys were arrogant enough to believe that they could just string McCarthy along and work out a deal with him at the last minute, only to have that plan blow up in their faces.
Reports out of The Star say that Jones “expected McCarthy to be back” and “didn’t have a plan in place” for the possibility that McCarthy refused their last-minute offer.
The next head coach will have the tall task of bringing this franchise to glory after 29 years of ineptitude.
If the Washington Commanders somehow manage to defeat the top-seeded Detroit Lions this weekend, the Cowboys would stand alone as the franchise with the longest NFC Championship Game drought.
Choosing a coach should be tedious work, and a different approach from Jerry’s usual nepotism hire would be a welcome sight.
A good coach knows how to exploit the top talent on the roster, and catering to the superstars’ strengths on the field should be one of the top priorities.
Here are three burning questions that each head coach candidate should have to answer.
How Will You Get the Best Out of Dak Prescott?
Whoever wants to be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys will need to know that QB Dak Prescott is here to stay.
Prescott signed a new 4-year deal worth $240 million just hours before the season kicked off in Cleveland, and although the contract received mixed emotions from fans, Dak isn’t going anywhere.
A slow start to the season added fuel to the contract fire, and an injury to Prescott shelved him for the majority of the season.
Dak will come back this summer to a new coach, new offensive coordinator, and a new offense to learn.
Prescott has gotten to a point in his career where he knows what plays he likes to run, so the new coach should give him some freedom.
Like most quarterbacks, Prescott has played his best football when he has a strong running game because he is the best version of himself when play-action passes are working.
The new coach should put an emphasis on the rushing attack from a quality standpoint. More rushes doesn’t mean a better run game. An efficient run game should be the goal, and Prescott can take care of the rest.
How Will You Help Take Attention Away From CeeDee Lamb?
WR CeeDee Lamb is the Cowboys’ biggest weapon, and they have done a much better job of exploiting his talent on the field over the past couple of seasons.
So many times we complained about Lamb’s usage, begging the Cowboys to scheme him open instead of relying on him to win one-on-one reps on the outside every snap.
They finally listened to us and Lamb began to go in pre-snap motion more often, and has become one of the most lethal wide receivers from the slot in the NFL today.
Former OC Kellen Moore came from the Jason Garrett coaching tree, and Garrett’s offense is a system offense designed to just find the open man.
Moore left Dallas for the Los Angeles Chargers, and McCarthy understood the assignment.
Move CeeDee around and force defenses to cover him with the entire field, and force mismatches in coverage using motion at the snap.
How Will You Get Micah Parsons a Defensive Player of the Year Award?
There is no doubt that EDGE Micah Parsons is one of the most talented defensive players in the NFL today, and is on pace for a Hall of Fame career.
Parsons was left off of the AP All-Pro list this year after missing four games with a high-ankle sprain.
You can argue that he was snubbed after finishing with more sacks in four fewer games than a couple of the players voted in above him.
No matter, the snub will probably light the fire under him to burn hotter than before, and he will use that motivation to drive quarterbacks into the dirt in 2025. Whoever comes in as head coach needs to design the defense around Parsons.
Mike Zimmer’s defense started the season off slow, but Zimmer did things scheme-wise with Micah that we rarely saw Dan Quinn do.
Zimmer’s vision for Parsons was to use him more like a chess piece, creating mismatches all across the offensive line.
Sometimes he rushed off the edge, but he also moved around to open gaps to find the quickest path to the quarterback.
If the next head coach candidate wants to be hired for the job, he will need to answer these three burning questions. The plan for the Cowboys three best players should be the top priority for Jerry Jones.