Stop what you're doing if you've heard this before, but the Dallas Cowboys are dragging their feet in deciding on the future of an important coach. Dallas will reportedly take "10 to 12 days" to evaluate defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after the worst defensive season in franchise history.
It is utter lunacy, and it could cost them the chance to interview the strongest replacements. The slaughter that was Black Monday has presented the Cowboys with no shortage of DC candidates.
That list seemed to include Browns defensive play-caller Jim Schwartz after Cleveland shockingly fired head coach Kevin Stefanski, who hired Stefanski during the 2023 offseason.
Unfortunately for Dallas, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said that he "absolutely" wants Schwartz to remain with the team. While Haslam hasn't decided if Schwartz will be in the mix for the team's head coaching vacancy, he added that "we think a lot of Jim Schwartz."
Cowboys might not be able to hire Jim Schwartz to be their new DC
The same way that Haslam's comments don't guarantee that Cleveland will be able to keep Schwartz, they also mean it won't be easy for the Cowboys to hire Schwartz.
How the owner views Schwartz is one hurdle, but Schwartz also has the support of the locker room. Speaking to the media on Monday, Browns star cornerback Denzel Ward advocated for the 59-year-old to replace Stefanski.
"Me, personally, I have so much love and respect for coach Schwartz," Ward said. "I would highly recommend coach Schwartz for a head coaching job. . . . He's a great coach. He's helped my game tremendously. Puts us in great position [to succeed], great leader. I can't say enough great things about him."
The Cowboys have to hope that Schwartz isn't interested in the job. He hasn't been a head coach in 13 years, when he led the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2013, so Dallas has that going for them.
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If he doesn't want the gig, then Jerry Jones would stand a chance at stealing him. An NFL team can block a current coach or executive from interviewing for a lateral move with another team, but the Browns might not have any say over Schwartz's future now that Stefanski is gone.
Teams cannot, however, block a coach or personnel executive from interviewing for a promotion. In other words, the Cowboys would be able to interview Schwartz if they offered him the assistant head coach position in addition to defensive coordinator. Brian Schottenheimer would have to endorse that, obviously, but it's one loophole around the NFL rulebook.
That might not matter, sadly. The Browns wield all the power here, and it seems that Haslam is prepared to do what's necessary to keep Schwartz.