Once again, the Dallas Cowboys had plenty of offensive success during the regular season which means Kellen Moore’s name is being floated as a potential head coaching candidate.
In fact, the Carolina Panthers have already requested permission to meet with the fourth-year offensive coordinator for their head coaching vacancy. Moore will interview with the Panthers on Tuesday, per reports.
Who knows? If Moore fails to land a head coaching gig, perhaps Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys decide to move on from the offensive coordinator. Dak Prescott took a big step backwards in 2022, and Moore could be scapegoated as a means to get a new face in the building in hopes of fixing the franchise QB.
Moore met with teams last year as well — as did defensive coordinator Dan Quinn — but wound up staying in Dallas. That might not be the case this season but if they do lose Moore, here are four outside candidates they should have on speed dial.
Cowboys offensive coordinator candidates if Kellen Moore leaves
4. Mike LaFleur
Matt LaFleur has had a lot of success as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers but his younger brother could be the next rising star in the family. Mike LaFleur has spent several years as an assistant coach and was with the San Francisco 49ers as the passing game coordinator from 2017 through 2020 and had a lot of success despite injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo continually causing them to switch things up.
He left in 2021 as Robert Saleh brought him to the New York Jets with him when he was hired as their head coach. LaFleur served as the offensive coordinator from 2021 through 2022 and despite some improvement, this past season, he and the Jets parted ways as he looks for his next home.
LaFleur did have some success as Garrett Wilson put together a strong rookie campaign but in the end, his inability to help Zach Wilson develop led to the decision from Saleh. Having said that, it’s hard to put too much blame on LaFleur as Wilson seemed to have lost his confidence and their offensive line was a mess due to injuries.
He would have a better roster in Dallas and a coach in Mike McCarthy that would be a huge asset to game planning. He might not be the top choice, but LaFleur should be on the shortlist.
3. Zac Robinson
Let’s not beat around the bush — the offensive coordinator’s main job will be to get the most out of his quarterback. Jerry and Stephen Jones can tell us all they want that the running game is the key but the truth is, it all starts with the quarterback in today’s NFL.
That’s why it would make sense to target coordinators with experience either at the position — or coaching it. Kellen Moore, for example, was a former star at Boise State and spent several years as a backup quarterback in the NFL before taking up a headset on the Dallas sideline.
Here, we look at Zac Robinson who was another backup quarterback in the NFL, spending most of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He then went into coaching and has been on the Los Angeles Rams staff since 2019, spending this past season as the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Robinson was instrumental in getting Baker Mayfield up to speed in 48 hours to play a game for the Rams — and they were able to get the win. He also worked with wide receivers before that, showing he’s well-rounded.
With Sean McVay previously mulling his future with the Rams, Robinson and other staff members have been given the green light to interview elsewhere. Should Dallas be in need of someone to fill Moore’s shoes, Robinson needs to be brought in for an interview.
2. Brian Johnson
It’s never a bad idea to take a talented player or coach from a rival team and right now, the Cowboys’ biggest rival has a lot of talent on their sideline. One name to watch in that regard is Brian Johnson, who is in just his second season as a coach in the NFL after a long career in the NCAA.
Johnson was hired by Nick Sirianni to coach the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks and has been a major factor in the ascension of Jalen Hurts. He’s also been gaining a lot of traction as a young coach to watch, with Adam Schefter going as far as to say he gets “head coaching vibes” with Johnson.
A former collegiate quarterback at Utah, Johnson began coaching at his alma mater in 2010 and became the offensive coordinator in 2012. He then left in 2014 and took a position at Mississippi State as the quarterback coach. During the first two of those three seasons, he worked with Dak Prescott, the Cowboys current starter.
Prescott had a huge leap in production once Johnson joined the staff. He had 7,242 yards passing with 56 touchdowns and 16 picks during those two years. He became a more refined passer and saw his completion percentage grow each year and relied less on his legs. Even so, he still had 24 rushing touchdowns in that span as well.
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Adding Johnson would mean Prescott would have familiarity with the coach and Johnson has shown he can help an NFL quarterback take a step forward. That’s why he would make a lot of sense as a potential replacement if needed.
1. Kliff Kingsbury
When Kliff Kingsbury was fired by Texas Tech following a 5-7 record, he was originally hired to be the offensive coordinator at USC. He quickly resigned and wound up interviewing with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals for their head coaching vacancies.
He wound up taking the Arizona job where he spent the next four seasons. Kingsbury, who was instrumental in their decision to draft Kyler Murray and give up on Josh Rosen, showed progress for the first three seasons.
Arizona won five games in 2019, then improved to eight wins in 2020, and 11 in 2021. That season ended with a first-round playoff loss but the future seemed bright as they had a top-five offense and several returning stars.
Things fell apart quickly as the Cardinals finished 4-13 this year and were anemic on both offense and defense. This led to his firing after the regular season but as is often the case, putting all the blame on one person isn’t the answer.
Arizona had injuries to deal with at key positions with Murray and Marquise Brown missing time. There was also a six-game suspension early in the year for DeAndre Hopkins.
With all that being said, Kingsbury is still a brilliant offensive mind who also spent time playing and coaching the quarterback position. He would be a huge benefit for Dak Prescott especially when it comes to using the quarterback’s athleticism and running ability to threaten defenses and open up even more creativity in the offense.
Of all the candidates, he would be the splashiest hire but would also have the most competition. But that’s never stopped the Jones family from making it happen.
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