Cowboys hire Brian Schottenheimer as head coach, promoting him from offensive coordinator

Less than two weeks after the Dallas Cowboys split ways with five-year head coach Mike McCarthy, they have agreed to terms with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to become the team’s next head coach, a team source confirms.

Schottenheimer, 51, lands his first head coaching job at any level after spending three seasons on McCarthy’s staff and the last two as a non-playcalling offensive coordinator. The Cowboys also interviewed Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, former Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Seahawks associate head coach Leslie Frazier.

After a growing desire from ownership spurned to expedite the process of McCarthy’s successor, the Cowboys quickly moved on interviewing Schottenheimer on Tuesday and Wednesday before offering him the job on Friday. With the hire, offensive consistency for quarterback Dak Prescott remains, as the two can build on an offensive system that has been in place for the last two years.

The son of NFL coaching legend Marty Schottenheimer, he has spent 14 seasons as an offensive coordinator in the league. His other stops have included the St. Louis Rams (1997, assistant), Kansas City Chiefs (1998, assistant), Syracuse (1999, wide receivers coach), USC (2000, tight ends coach), Washington Redskins (2001, quarterbacks coach), San Diego Chargers (2002-2005, quarterbacks coach), New York Jets (2006-2011, offensive coordinator), St. Louis Rams (2012-2014, offensive coordinator), Georgia (2015, offensive coordinator), Indianapolis Colts (2016-2017, quarterbacks coach), Seattle Seahawks (2018-2020, offensive coordinator) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (2021, passing game coordinator).

Throughout his time as a coordinator, only his time in Dallas has seen him not call plays. He has been responsible for five top-ten scoring offenses and two top-ten total offenses in his 14 seasons as a coordinator. In his time in Dallas, he has gained respect by many, including quarterback Dak Prescott, for his attentive coaching style and open offensive mind.

He comes across as detail-oriented and cerebral, on and off the field, based on his weekly sessions with the media during the season. His experience in coaching dates all the way back to his childhood watching his father and his uncle, Kurt, command NFL locker rooms.

It is not immediately clear if Schottenheimer will assume playcalling duties under his new role, but his first responsibility as a culture-builder will have to start immediately. Coming off a disappointing 7-10 season and many free agents expected to depart Dallas, Schottenheimer will have to set a new standard under his tenure both in and out of the building. How his staff is constructed around that will be another one of his first immediate tasks, although it is expected that the front office will also have a say as well in how the crop of assistant coaches pans out.