As we all know now, Brain Schottenheimer has been hired as the head coach, and has been filling out his staff throughout the last week.
Klayton Adams was officially hired as the new offensive coordinator, and although he won’t call plays, he and Schottenheimer have a clear common goal, and that is to run football all over you.
Adams, 41, makes the jump to coordinator following two seasons leading the O-line in Arizona.
He served on the Indianapolis Colts’ coaching staff prior to that stop, initially as assistant offensive line coach from 2019-2020 and then as the tight ends coach from 2021-22.
Cowboys make official the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer’s third and final coordinator. Klayton Adams expected to influence improvement in Cowboys woeful running game. https://t.co/wp2ceEDOVk
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) February 1, 2025
The bulk of Adams’ coaching history took place in college, where in 13 years he maneuvered his was up from a graduate assistant at Boise State in 2005 to the Colorado’s co-offensive coordinator and OL coach in 2018.
What Are They Missing?
So both of these guys love to run the football, yet what are the Dallas Cowboys missing?
A running back that they can trust under contract.
Rico Dowdle’s future in Dallas is murky at best as a free agent, but after rushing for 1,079 yards as part of a running back by committee for the first half of the season, he will have admirers for his services.
Dowdle, per Spotrac.com, is likely to get around $6 million APY on the open market, and that seems easily doable for the Cowboys, but let’s remember who is running the team. The man who doesn’t spend money at all.
5 highest graded players for the #Cowboys during the 2024 season via @PFF:
1. EDGE Micah Parsons – 90.0
2. WR CeeDee Lamb – 77.3
3. LB Eric Kendricks – 75.2
4. LG Tyler Smith – 75.0
5. RB Rico Dowdle – 73.9— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 7, 2025
Deuce Vaughn is currently the only running back that the Dallas Cowboys have under contract, and he is not going to be the one leading this team’s backfield, I can tell you that.
With that said, we do have the NFL draft coming up, so maybe we see Dallas take a back there. This class is loaded.
Will They Draft One?
Adams and Brain are going to have a big say in whether the Dallas Cowboys look to draft a back, but again they want to run the football, and without a back on the roster that can do so, they have to figure something out.
Ashton Jeanty is the guy everyone wants at pick No. 12, Kaleb Johnson from Iowa is a name to watch, but the guy I want more than anyone is TreVoyon Henderson from Ohio State.
In four seasons at Ohio State, Henderson rushed for over 1,000 yards twice and scored double digit rushing touchdowns in three of his four years with the Buckeyes.
I'd love either Buckeye running back on the Cowboys.
That is if they don't draft Cam Skattebo. That's the dream. https://t.co/6VouykqFva
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) January 24, 2025
In his senior season, he averaged 7.1 yards per carry while splitting carries with Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, who also finished as a 1,000 yard rusher.
He is a speed back and lacks some physical traits, but they could use Hunter Luepke for that!
They did not use him enough a year ago, and if they decide to not bring Rico Dowdle back, they could have the combo on the roster if they draft him.
Either way, I will admit that I do like the coaching staff that this team put together, outside of the head coach, it looks like they actually tried to make this thing work.
They have a clear goal of what they want to do, but they are missing the most important piece and that is a running back.
If they can get that in place, they need to work on the offensive line, but it is clear that they might have the right guys in place, at least for now, to try and make some improvements
Things will start to heat up once the Super Bowl is over, and look for the Cowboys to continue to add coaches on the offensive side of the ball in someway.
Skattebo is The Man.
Nobody in their right mind wants a Boise State RB at #12, even Ashton Jeanty. This draft is stocked top to bottom with viable RB’s. Which means…Jerry will draft Jeanty unless a team above us saves us from ourselves.
Ashton Jeanty would be the perfect pick, but what would the team have to sacrifice in order to move up and be in a position to draft him? I think, given the major roster holes, that a legitimate RB (or maybe even two) can be found in the later rounds, since the 2025 draft class is packed full with them.
Oh wait, Jerry wasted two fourth-round picks in Trey Lance and Jonathan Mingo, so I guess they’ll have to settle for just one RB. Unless Dallas trades down to gain more draft picks.
And we all know how successful past Dallas teams have been when they use the run to open up the pass. The combos of Emmit Smith-Troy Aikman, DeMarco Murray-Tony Romo, and most recently, Zeke-Dak are important considerations.
Next up is a viable WR2 to play opposite of CeeDee. Brandin Cooks probably won’t be back next season, and the law firm of Jalen and Jalen doesn’t fill me with confidence.
After that, they need to franchise tag Osa, and work on a long-term solution ASAFP, and not let things drag out like they did with D-Law, Dak and CeeDee. The team ended up paying even more for their continued services.
Just my two-cents.
Quinshon Judkins or TreVoyon Henderson is my choice. 2nd or 3rd round. Wide receiver in 1st round.