Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has been named the 2016 AP NFL Coach of the year. The award was announced earlier tonight at the annual NFL Honors show.
Even after losing starting quarterback Tony Romo in Week 3 of the preseason, Garrett coached the Cowboys to a 13-3 record, NFC East division title, and the top seed in the conference. He helped guide Dak Prescott, a fourth-round pick, to arguably the best rookie season in NFL quarterback history.
Only the New England Patriots (14-2) had a better record than the Cowboys this year. Dallas likely would’ve matched that record if they hadn’t rested their started in Week 17.
While the Patriots did have one more win this year, the Cowboys had to deal with Tony Romo’s injury and the subsequent controversy between Romo and Dak Prescott over the starting job. Jason Garrett’s steady personality was evident in how the team navigated its obstacles and achieved success.
This is only the third time that a Dallas Cowboys coach has won the award. Tom Landry won in 1966 and Jimmy Johnson in 1990.
