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This is going to be a very interesting offseason for the Dallas Cowboys in a few weeks. The assumption is that Dallas will need to move pretty quickly after the final whistle on Week 18. Back in 2019 and under similar circumstances, owner and GM Jerry Jones waited almost an entire week from the final day of the regular season (December 29) to moving on from Jason Garrett (January 5) whose contract expired. Garrett was replaced by Mike McCarthy, a veteran coach who had convinced the Joneses that he was hip to the new NFL after spending a year away from the game.
Will they look for similar things if and when they let McCarthy go this coming offseason? There are a slew of really good candidates this go round. Time may be of the essence this cycle, as there could be upwards of seven or eight openings come early January. The Jets, Saints and Bears have already fired their head coaches. The Cowboys, Giants, Jaguars, and Raiders could all be in that boat. There’s even an outside chance the Bengals and 49ers are looking for new leaders for their sidelines.
The searches are going to be diverse, depending on what each ownership group prefers, and that question is no more pertinent than in Dallas.
The Cowboys have been on an experience roller coaster for 30-plus years of coaching. Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer were established college leaders with no NFL coaching experience. Switzer was replaced by Chan Gailey, who had over 10 years experience as an NFL assistant and pro head coaching experience from the WLAF. Dave Campo was similar, a decade-long assistant who was bumped up to replace Gailey.
When those didn’t work, Jones turned to two-time Lombardi hoister Bill Parcells and his lengthy resume as a team fixer. Parcells was replaced four years later by another veteran of the head coaching pipeline, Wade Phillips. Garrett was hired before Phillips to be a coach in waiting with just two years experience as an assistant, which grew to six by the time he ascended. His departure saw Jones go back to the proven winner ranks with Super Bowl champ McCarthy.
So where do things go this cycle?
There’s a ton of guys with various amounts of experience as coordinators, though it’s hard to envision Jones hiring a Liam Coen of Tampa, whose called plays in the NFL just for one season, or Frank Smith of Miami who hasn’t done it at all.
There are assistants who have been head coaches before, like Kliff Kingsbury and Brian Flores. There are former head coaches like Mike Vrabel, collegiate coaches like Deion Sanders and Kirby Smart, former Cowboys assistants like Kellen Moore and Wes Phillips, and that’s before the young guns like Ben Johnson, Bobby Slowik, Joe Brady and others are even mentioned.
It’s going to be a crazy upheaval in the NFL coaching ranks and if Dallas throws their hats in the ring, they will be the biggest tent at the circus. Here’s a look at our Week 16 replacement rankings.
Honorable Mentions:
Liam Coen, OC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Last Week: Honorable Mention
Ryan Grubb, Seattle Seahawks OC | Last Week: Honorable Mention
Ejiro Evero, Carolina Panthers, DC | Last Week: Honorable Mention
Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers, DC | Last Week: Honorable Mention
Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos, DC | Last Week: Honorable Mention
Lincoln Riley, USC, HC | Last Week: Honorable Mention
Adam Stenovich, Green Bay Packers OC | Last Week: Honorable Mention
University of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart | Last Week: Honorable Mention