During the offseason we talk a lot about players entering their third seasons and how it marks a significant point in their development. This will also be the third year for Kellen Moore as Offensive Coordinator, and his growth could be one of the biggest success factors for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021.
Moore’s already had a significant impact on Dallas’ offense. After ascending to the job in 2019 following the firing of Scott Linehan, Kellen took a group that ranked 22nd in total offense and scoring the year before and finished 1st and 6th in those categories in 2018.
Trading for Amari Cooper in the middle of that year certainly helped, but such dramatic shifts also had a lot to do with the change in coordinator. Moore brought a less conservative approach to play-calling and things just felt more open and creative under his direction.
That trend was continuing in 2020 as Dak Prescott was on pace to smash the record for passing yards in a season. With over 1,800 yards from Weeks 1-5, Prescott could’ve been the first NFL quarterback to hit 6,000 and would’ve blown past Peyton Manning’s record of 5,477 in 2013.
But we know what happened in Week 5 and in the discouraging weeks that followed. Still, even with Prescott’s injury and everything else that went wrong in 2020, Kellen’s offense still managed to finish 14th in yards and 17th in scoring for the year.
This is already a strong resume for the young coach and we’re just getting started. Turning just 33 this past Tuesday, Moore will be younger than a few of the players heading to Dallas’ 2021 training camp.
Remember, Kellen didn’t spend years as an assistant or position coach before taking the OC job. While he was a coach’s dream as a quarterback, Moore didn’t trade his helmet for a clipboard until 2018 for just one season as Dallas’ QB Coach.
No matter how much unofficial coaching Moore did or learned while playing, finally putting theory into practice is a very different experience. Kellen has been given a lot of responsibility very quickly and with a change in head coach, plus a pandemic to work through, halfway through his coaching infancy.
It’s quite reasonable to think that we haven’t seen the best yet from Kellen Moore as an offensive guru. And with all the weapons now at his disposal, how explosive could his offense be in 2021?
We’ve only seen four full games of Prescott throwing to CeeDee Lamb and his other great receiving targets. We’ve yet to see this offense with an athletic tight end like Blake Jarwin running around with them. There’s still a lot more that could be done with a versatile weapon like Tony Pollard.
Even though he was a breath of fresh air from Linehan, Moore’s likely conservative in his own ways as a brand new coordinator. Now entering his third season, Kellen’s increased confidence and experience should only enhance his play-calling. And now, this more-developed coach will have more and better tools to work with than ever before.
Our focus in the coming weeks will be on the 91 players vying for roster spots as we prepare for the upcoming season; endless discussion about position battles and preseason glimpses. But once we get to September, the development of Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore may be one of the most important factors in the Cowboys’ success or failure in 2021.
