I can’t sit here and tell you Dallas needs to clean house without offering up suggestions about who will replace Dak Prescott and the head coach.
Beating the Eagles 38-21 is always a good time. We watched Dak get back on track with three touchdown throws, and Javonte Williams, 155 yards, showed us the run game does exist. That game showed us what we would be giving up if we cleaned house.
Even after the win, I am still willing to consider the moves, because even if we do squeeze into the playoffs, the team won’t do much. But if we clean house, I want a coach and a quarterback that will make us sitting through this rebuild worthwhile.
HC Chris Shula: My First Interview
I like Chris Shula and that is one of the reasons he is my first choice among coordinators that would get an interview. He’s in his third season running the Rams’ defense after coaching linebackers and defensive backs.
I would like this team to have a defensive-minded head coach, but Shula would need to have a good idea who his offensive staff would consist of before getting the job. Who will develop the new quarterback? Who calls plays?
If the Cowboys decide to clean house, the team will need more than a new defensive playbook.
HC Aden Durde and HC Nate Scheelhaase: Hear Me Out
Aden Durde had a previous stint with the Dallas Cowboys as the defensive line coach, and many fans believed he should have been the next defensive coordinator. In Seattle, his defense is the number one defense in yards allowed and top-10 in several areas.
This is a tough one because the Cowboys would have to figure out what he can create without Mike Macdonald at his side.
Nate Scheelhaase is the offensive alternative. He was a coordinator for a good offensive unit at Iowa State before joining Sean McVay and the LA Rams. I would love to see that type of offensive play calling come to Dallas.
Brian Flores Shouldn’t Be the Automatic Answer
A team has to know how the new coach will work with people in the building. The Brian Flores talk doesn’t look promising in that area.
Mike Pettine publicly talked about disagreements with Flores in Minnesota, and Tua Tagovailoa criticized how Flores treated him in Miami. Those two guys’ words should have a little weight if we are going with a rookie quarterback.
Then there’s Kevin O’Connell, who has praised Flores’ relationships, and Flores chose to take Tua’s words and grow from them. So there may be hope for Flores to be a head coach again.
Brian Flores still stays behind the other three for me. A rookie quarterback will need someone demanding, but also someone he can trust.
What Is the Gain to Clean House?
Let’s say Dallas receives a 2027 first and second plus a 2028 first for Dak, a 2027 first and third for CeeDee, and a 2027 second for Pickens.
These returns would be extremely helpful in a rebuild, but the Pickens deal would have to get done this season before the trade deadline.
The Cowboys would go into the 2027 NFL with three first-round draft picks, and two extra second-round picks.
That would be the budget we are going to work with after cleaning house. So, who would I target?
QB Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State: A Good Start
Drew Mestemaker would be my quarterback target if he enters the draft.
Through seven games this season, he has 2,326 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. His completion percentage is 65.7%.
The scouting report on Mestemaker praised his touch downfield and his ability to extend plays, but his touch on boundary throws and release point were questioned. Dallas would have to examine his progress this season after those concerns.
If we clean house and trade Dak, the new staff has to believe it can develop the next guy, and I think Mestemaker is just getting started.
Getting this guy at number 8 isn’t a guarantee, and moving up may cost too much of the budget. He can also stay in school, which would completely change the plan.
CB Ashton Hampton, Clemson: Give Joey Porter Jr. a Reliable Partner
My decision to clean house shouldn’t leave Porter with no help.
Ashton Hampton is intriguing because he challenges receivers with physicality. Scouting reports say he can get a little too touchy and that becomes a penalty problem. Dallas needs aggression without giving away first downs.
Mississippi State’s Kelley Jones is another option. His length and speed offer promise in coverage, while his strength will need to improve.
NFLdraftbuzz.com ranks Hampton #5, and Jones #4. Both of these corners could be available with our later first round pick, but corner definitely gets priority over another edge rusher.
WR Cam Coleman, Texas: Help the Quarterback
There is no way I could clean house at wide receiver and not find some help for a rookie quarterback.
Coleman offers downfield speed, and contested-catch ability. The downside is his route running, and yards after contact needs some work.
Could he be available later in the first-round? That might be the issue the Cowboys run into with Coleman. Depending on how he ends the season, we could see his draft stock soar.
Indiana’s Nick Marsh could be a Day 2 alternative. His speed and ability to find openings in zone coverage interest me. It also doesn’t hurt that he has 4.38 speed at 6’3”. The downside is he can get a case of the drops periodically.
DT David Stone and RB Kewan Lacy: Day 2 Targets
David Stone’s quickness inside and his ability to escape blocks makes him intriguing next to Quinnen Williams in the middle. He’s had issues with double teams, but next to Williams that shouldn’t be an issue.
Kewan Lacy has vision, quickness, and elite change of direction.
We can’t clean house and be able to replace everyone through the draft, but if any of these players were available at the draft spots we are sitting at, I would run those cards to the podium.
We Will Still Give the Next Team a Chance
Keeping the Tyler’s, Caleb Downs, Quinnen Williams, and the rest of the offensive line will help this rebuild. Drew Mestemaker would have a reliable offensive line, a young corner would have a good veteran to learn from, and the running back would have blockers.
We will miss Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens, but a reset is needed.
I’m willing to clean house for that opportunity. Will it turn out this way? Probably not, but if it were anywhere close, I think that would be a win.
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