Dallas Cowboys: 4 potential head coaching candidates

With the Dallas Cowboys season likely over, who will owner and general manager Jerry Jones bring in to become the next head coach for America’s Team?

Following the Dallas Cowboys 17-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, it becomes even more difficult for Dallas to make the playoffs. Granted, if the Eagles lose to the New York Giants and the Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins next Sunday, they can win the NFC East. But the chances are very slim.

Let’s say the Cowboys miss out on the playoffs and the front office can bring in a new head coach for 2020. What potential candidates would fit the job description best for America’s Team?

Could it be a young offensive-minded talent such as Oklahoma University’s Head Coach Lincoln Riley? Perhaps a more defensive-minded individual like former Carolina Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera?

Two other options could come from the likes of former Florida Gators and Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer. Or possibly a more experienced NFL coach such as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels from the New England Patriots.

All four candidates possess the ability to lead an NFL organization. But only one is potentially worthy of leading this Cowboys team. The Jones family is going to have to take a good hard look at this roster and attempt to pinpoint exactly what was missing during head coach Jason Garrett’s tenure.

Riley becomes an interesting option because of his relationship with the Jones family. He is currently 36-5 at Oklahoma and runs a spread offensive system that had two Heisman Trophy winners in quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray plus recent Heisman candidate Jalen Hurts.

Riley has been known to be a quarterback whisperer. And this could benefit quarterback Dak Prescott in bringing in a more college system to combat with his skill set.

Rivera is definitely an enticing option. A defensive-minded coach who led his team to a Super Bowl, in which they eventually lost to the Denver Broncos 24-10. This could be the safe option because Rivera been an NFL head coach before and he’s been to the biggest stage in the game of football. He posted a record of 76-63-1, which ranks as the highest win percentage in Panthers history.

Meyer seems to be getting the most press over the job. He was heard on multiple media platforms essentially lobbying for the job. He has a history with running back Ezekiel Elliott and his college background could cater to the likes of Prescott, similar to Riley.

At the University of Florida, Meyer won two national championships. And at Ohio State University he won one. Keeping the off-field issues aside you can argue wherever Meyer goes, he wins.

Another candidate who is already in the NFL is McDaniels. The Patriots dynasty might be coming to an end, which would make the long-time offensive coordinator a very popular head coach candidate again. Similar to last year before he returned to the Patriots after being the Indianapolis Colts coach for a few short days, which may pose as a commitment issue for the rest of the league.

The success rate of the Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s coaching tree has not been ideal. We haven’t seen much success in the Detroit Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia and the Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores. So don’t think because you are getting a Patriots coach, you will get that level of success in return.

The real question has always been who can essentially co-exist with Jerry Jones. We saw how ugly it got when head coach Bill Parcells tried doing things his way or even in the early 1990s when head coach Jimmy Johnson tried as well. Both eventually parted ways with Jones, one of which after winning two Super Bowls.

Garrett has always been seen as a quiet guy that shows no emotion, who claps often, and always has the same look on his face for 60 minutes of a football game. He has a career coaching record barely above .500 for the last ten years. The Cowboys wasted a lot of talented teams in those years, so something has to give.

A football team needs a head coach who demands respect from his players and holds them accountable at all times. Most would say a football team takes on the personality of its head coach and I couldn’t agree anymore. Let the Dallas Cowboys coaching search begin.