Who will be the Dallas Cowboys' next head coach?

With the Dallas Cowboys' coaching search heating up, let's take a spin through our NFL staff writers and who they think will ultimately get the job.

Who will be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys?

Jori Epstein: The Cowboys seemed all but headed toward a Kellen Moore reunion until this week, when conversations with their recent offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer began. As of early Wednesday afternoon, a source characterized those conversations as “heating up.”

What’s at play here between the two candidates? Each have familiarity with the Cowboys dynamic and extensive play-calling experience, Schottenheimer’s experience longer standing while Moore has the edge on calling plays each of the past six seasons compared to a four-year hiatus for Schottenheimer.

Schottenheimer fits the dynamic coach archetype more than Moore, though multiple sources including an AFC general manager who interviewed Moore for a recent opening said they believe Moore’s personality would not be a concern for the Dallas opening.

There’s reason to ask why the Cowboys would seriously chase a candidate in Schottenheimer who hasn’t generated any coaching interviews elsewhere. One source who worked with Schottenheimer at a previous stop chalked that up to Moore offering more intrigue than Schottenheimer, a coaching “lifer” and son of longtime head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Whichever way the Cowboys go, each has a deep knowledge of quarterback Dak Prescott that will be key.

My prediction: If the Eagles lose this week, Moore swoops in to take it. If Eagles win, and Moore’s not available for three more weeks, Schottenheimer’s your guy.

Charles Robinson: I still believe Kellen Moore is the primary pursuit, although the way Jerry Jones is handling this close to the vest — and primarily on his own — makes it more unpredictable than I expected at this point in the process. Both Jerry and Stephen Jones have long believed Kellen has the ability to be a quality head coach, despite him lacking the podium charisma that attracts the gaze of Cowboys ownership.

Three points: I don’t think Jerry was ever fully over Moore leaving (essentially getting pushed out of) the Cowboys franchise the way he did; I think he values the relationship Moore has with Dak Prescott; and I think it’s been difficult for him to watch the success Moore has had coordinating the Eagles' offense with a centerpiece running back and a QB who is a lesser passer than Prescott.

The one complication in this hire — and it’s real — is that Philadelphia’s playoff run is forcing Jerry to wait on a move with Moore. And the longer he waits, the more likely someone else can catch Jerry’s eye.

Charles McDonald: Whoever it is, it’s going to be someone that already has some stature and is well known to Jerry Jones — hence the Brian Schottenheimer interview, despite the fact that he was just on the fired staff of Mike McCarthy. That whittles it down to a few people in this year’s pool with the most likely names seeming like Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Considering Moore’s experience in the NFL he seems like a likely choice. However, Sanders has built a credible football program at Colorado including many former NFL-adjacent people including offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who used to coach the Giants and Browns.

Regardless, hopefully whoever gets this job can make it to the postseason so the Cowboys can actually be a factor in relevant discussions around this time of year. Patrick Mahomes is right here to talk about!

Nate Tice: Kellen Moore would be a hire that the Cowboys made in a roundabout way. But this is a franchise that has apparently decided to wage war with Occam’s razor. Moore already has years of experience as a coordinator despite being only 36 and is smart, likable, has a good relationship with Dak Prescott and, most importantly (especially, especially, especially in Dallas): He’s a known quantity to the Jones family.

Although, there is a lot of smoke right now for Brian Schottenheimer right now, who is a candidate for the Cowboys' job for many of the same reasons that Moore is a candidate for the Cowboys head coach spot: experience in the NFL and familiarity with Prescott and the Cowboys franchise. A Schottenheimer hire would echo Jason Garrett’s ascension from coordinator to head coach over a decade ago.

Having said that, I still think Moore will be the hire in the end. Even if the path to finally promoting him to the head spot hasn’t been ideal. The Eagles' deep playoff run has just put a delay on the proceedings.

Frank Schwab: For as much as we’re all hoping for Jerry Jones to make some spicy hire that has us talking all offseason, Kellen Moore seems to be the most obvious hire. Jones is comfortable to him, which matters, and while he doesn’t have the head coaching experience that would probably be ideal for the Cowboys’ circus, he has been around the franchise as the offensive coordinator and knows that there are many parts of the job that have nothing to do with football. He also knows this franchise is looking for a quick rebound; it’s not a rebuild in any way.

While something like a Deion Sanders hire is fun to talk about (and talk about, and talk about), Moore should be the favorite.