Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 25, 2025
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to promote Brian Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach may have raised some eyebrows, but he reportedly has support from a prominent member of the roster.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, quarterback Dak Prescott and Schottenheimer have a “good relationship,” and Prescott “likes Schottenheimer’s creativity.”
Schottenheimer, 51, was elevated from coaching analyst to offensive coordinator in 2023, which coincided with the best statistical season of Prescott’s career.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet#Cowboys QBs coach Scott Tolzien, whose contract has expired, is expected to move on from Dallas, source said. A talented QB tutor who coached Dak Prescott during his MVP runner-up season, Tolzien should resurface soon.
Although head coach Mike McCarthy was the offensive play-caller during Schottenheimer’s time as OC, Archer noted that some around the situation believed Schottenheimer was behind the schematic changes that turned the Dallas offense around after a slow start in 2023.
The Cowboys went on to rank fifth in total offense and first in scoring offense in 2023, and the team went 12-5, winning the NFC East title.
Prescott completed a career-best 69.5 percent of his passes for 4,516 yards and a career-high 36 touchdowns with only nine interceptions.
As a result, Prescott was named a Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro, plus he finished second in the NFL MVP voting behind only Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Expectations were high entering the 2024 campaign, but the Cowboys struggled out of the gates and Prescott took a big step back.
Before suffering a hamstring injury that cost him the final nine games of the season, Prescott went 3-5 in eight starts and completed 64.7 percent of his passing attempts for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight picks.
As a credit to Schottenheimer and even McCarthy, the team didn’t quit after losing Prescott, and it can be argued that the offense actually improved.
In eight starts as Prescott’s replacement, Cooper Rush went 4-4 and in the 12 games he appeared in overall, he completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Cowboys allowed McCarthy’s contract to expire at the conclusion of the 2024 season, leaving them in the market for a new head coach.
Dallas’ search wasn’t particularly expansive, as the organization interviewed Schottenheimer, former Cowboys and current Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore, former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier.
The Cowboys ultimately decided to maintain some continuity with Schottenheimer, which could be a good thing for Prescott and the offense in terms of hitting the ground running in 2025.
