On the same day the Dallas Cowboys learned that Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn will remain with the team in the same role for 2022, Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore was announced as one of three candidates to take a second interview with the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins opening may be the most surprising vacancy of this NFL offseason, as Miami moved on from Brian Flores following a 9-8 season. Seven of these wins came consecutively after a 1-7 start that ultimately cost Flores his job in year three. The Dolphins are looking to build around QB Tua Tagovailoa, interviewing young coaches with innovative offenses.
Moore is a finalist along with Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins have seen Daboll’s work up close, as he’s coordinated the Buffalo Bills’ offense since 2018. McDaniel’s offense is playing on Championship Sunday, as he looks to lead another upset at the Rams and put the 49ers in a second Super Bowl in three seasons.
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The Cowboys have already learned that offseason news moves quickly, while the sting of not playing for a trip to the Super Bowl for the 26th straight season remains fresh around The Star. Retaining Dan Quinn was the first bright spot of a long offseason process for Dallas. At least early in the 2021 season, the idea that both Moore and Quinn could return was a dream scenario.
Now, Moore is fielding questions from other owners and GMs about why the Cowboys offense struggled as much as they did in big games and the playoff loss, with the expectation that this hiring cycle comes and goes without him taking a HC opening.
Daboll is still a strong candidate to land in the NFC East with the Giants, after they hired Joe Schoen as GM. Schoen was the Bills assistant GM before taking another job in New York. McDaniel’s stock is only rising as the 49ers have knocked off the Cowboys and top-seeded Packers in this year’s playoffs.
This leaves Moore as an option for the Dolphins to take the next step, not appearing in the playoffs since 2016. The Tom Brady and Bill Belichick led Patriots had their say in other AFC East teams remaining relevant during part of this run, but the division remains tough with the Pats and Bills both making the postseason this year. Moore’s work with Dak Prescott may be a selling point for another team that believes their franchise QB is in place. This is also true of the openings in Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Minnesota, and possibly New York with the Giants.
The Jaguars were the first team to interview Moore this offseason, and he’s also spoken with the Vikings – who moved on from a former Cowboys assistant Mike Zimmer.
If Cowboys fans learned anything from the Dan Quinn experience, hearing he was a finalist for the now-filled openings with the Broncos and Bears, it’s that patience goes a long way in awaiting coaching news. If the Cowboys do see Moore return as OC, there’s an internal level of patience they’ll also have to accept as he’d enter his fourth year calling the offense.
