As summer is near and the NFL draft is now over, I feel like, at least for me, have not talked about rookie head coach Brain Schottenheimer nearly enough.
We all had the same reaction when he was hired. We knew once Mike McCarthy was let go that this job was probably always going to fall into the lap of Schottenheimer, and now he has to try and deliver.
With that in mind, it got me thinking over the weekend: how much pressure is there on Schottenheimer and how well he will stack up against other Dallas Cowboys rookie head coaches.
“I plan on being really successful.”
Cowboys rookie minicamp provides first look at changes under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer https://t.co/X4bweQFF6q
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 5, 2025
Meaning, let’s take a look at what other coaches did in their first year running the team and try and give a realistic outlook on what we should expect.
I want to go over what I think is least realistic followed by the most. Take a look below.
Least Realistic
Barry Switzer was hired to provide a steady hand for the Cowboys after Jimmy Johnson’s sudden resignation in the 1994 offseason.
Dallas wasn’t able to complete the three-peat in Switzer’s first season as head coach, losing to San Francisco in a battle of titans in the 1994 NFC Championship Game.
A year later, though, Switzer led the Cowboys back to a Super Bowl title. They had a dominant 12-4 season before winning each of their playoff games decisively to capture their third Super Bowl title in four seasons.
So let’s take a moment and think to ourselves. We know for sure this is not going to happen for Brain. I mean, look at the roster he has and compare it to the roster that Barry was given.
https://twitter.com/dallascowboys/status/1918697173643862440
This is far and away the least likely to happen for Brian Schottenheimer and we all know it.
If he were to somehow bring the Cowboys a title, he would be the most loved coach in history, but it just won’t happen.
So as of now, Barry and Jimmy are off the table for Schotty.
Most Realistic
Jason Garrett’s tenure as Dallas’ head coach technically started in 2010, when he became the interim coach upon Wade Phillips’ mid-season ouster.
After the Cowboys went 5-3 in the second half of the season, the former Cowboys backup quarterback had the interim tag removed ahead of the 2011 season.
The following three years, though, is what I think the ceiling is for Schotty. Garrett went 8-8 for three straight years.
Now, he has a chance to change the outcome of what happened. Dallas lost a win-or-go-home game in week 17 of each of those 8-win seasons.
Now, I am not saying that this team will do that every single time under Brain, but the coaching career that Jason Garrett had is what I think is most realistic for Schotty.
As long as he does not end up like Dave Campo and go 15-33 in his career as a head coach.
Campo will go down as the worst head coach in Dallas Cowboys history, so if he somehow ends up worse than Campo, we are going to have a bigger issue than we want to deal with.
In terms of success, he is going to be more like Jason Garrett, more likely than even Barry or Jimmy Johnson.
Jason Garrett has a playoff win more recently than Mike Tomlin. https://t.co/VoL5EjgkCw
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 14, 2025
I think others such as Mike McCarthy, Wade Phillips and Bill Parcells are even off the table.
Although they did not win a title or anything, they just won a lot of games. So did Garrett, but Jerry also gave him an extra 5–6 years more than he gives every other head coach.
This feels like a Jason Garrett hiring all over again. Let’s hope the front office beefs up tge offense a bit more this summer.
