It is hard not to be thrilled with the moves the Dallas Cowboys have made in light of hiring Brian Schottenheimer as head coach. The front office has commendably allowed Schottenheimer to assemble his own staff and Schottenheimer has hit home run after home run.
The Cowboys have made so many great moves in recent days that it almost gets lost vice president of player personnel Will McClay inked a five-year extension.
On top of stealing Aaron Whitecotton from the Jets to coach the defensive line, Dallas has extended tight ends coach Lunda Wells and poached Klayton Adams from Arizona to be the new offensive coordinator.
The Adams hire in particular has gotten rave reviews. A Boise State graduate, Adams was the architect of the Cardinals' elite rushing attack and top-tier pass protection the last two seasons. Those who cover the Cardinals were devastated to learn of Adams' departure.
Suffice it to say that Schottenheimer's stock is on the rise. It might soar a little higher after the latest buzz about his 2025 coaching staff.
Cowboys expected to part ways with Mike McCarthy assistant who underperformed
Given Adams' background as an offensive line coach, many pondered whether Dallas would bother hiring someone to coach the offensive line. While Schottenheimer will call plays, Adams will likely design the team's running concepts and blocking schemes.
Well, according to Todd Archer of ESPN, "the Cowboys will hire an offensive line coach in addition to having Adams."
Mike Solari served as OL coach under Mike McCarthy the last two seasons. Archer's reporting strongly hints Solari will not be back. That would be a win for Dallas as the offensive line has not developed accordingly under Solari's watch.
The Cowboys' checked in at No. 25 in Pro Football Focus' final offensive line rankings for the 2024 season. They allowed 156 pressures and 30 sacks on 687 pass plays and placed No. 24 in ESPN's pass-block win rate rankings.
There is a reason Cowboys fans have been banging the table for Lunda Wells to convert from TEs coach to offensive line coach. Wells inked an extension to seemingly continue as tight ends coach, but that Dallas is likely moving on from Solari is a win in our book.
For what it's worth, Solari was not among the several Cowboys assistants who attended Schottenheimer's introductory press conference on Monday. That is perhaps the strongest indicator that the Cowboys will look elsewhere for their offensive line coach.
If you need another reason to back Schottenheimer in addition to this week's hirings, Solari's departure absolutely fills the bill.