It took a while but the coaching dominos in the NFL are starting to fall. The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, have hardly made a dent in their search for a new head coach.
Missing out on top candidates was an obvious consequence of Dallas dragging out the Mike McCarthy situation. And yet, Jerry Jones could not be bothered to speed up the process.
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Well, that consequence manifested itself Monday afternoon as the Bears hired Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach. While Mike Vrabel came off the market first, Johnson was comfortably the most desirable candidate this cycle.
Not landing Johnson is a bitter pill to swallow, but it's not the end of the world. The Cowboys can soften the blow so long as they respond accordingly.
Then again, it's Jerry Jones we're talking about. In the immediate aftermath of the Johnson bombshell, the team announced it completed an in-person interview with Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier.
Cowboys interviewing Leslie Frazier while Ben Johnson is hired by the Bears is embarrassing
It remains to be seen if the Cowboys would have even requested an interview with Johnson, or if Johnson would have even accepted. But they never got the chance because they were busy low-balling McCarthy at the negotiation table.
That tells us they didn't consider Johnson a serious candidate, which is the biggest indictment imaginable on the organization. How could they? He doesn't have a personal relationship with Jerry Jones nor does he have any head coaching experience.
Take a look at the candidates Dallas is reportedly interested in.
Kellen Moore was a backup quarterback with the team before becoming QBs coach and then offensive coordinator for four seasons, while Frazier was Vikings head coach for four years and has 17 years of experience in the league as a HC or defensive coordinator.
Deion Sanders won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys as a player and has had head coaching success at the college level. Robert Saleh, who interviewed on Friday, coached the Jets for three-plus seasons. Finally, Brian Schottenheimer, who entered the mix over the weekend, has served as offensive coordinator for the last two seasons.
While it is beyond ignorant that Dallas (likely) wouldn't have interviewed Johnson, it is not at all surprising. Time will tell if Johnson works out in Chicago, but any team that hired him would have hit a home run. He's one of the best play-callers in the league and Dallas' offense is starving for some innovation and modernization.
Give them a break, though, they were busy interviewing Frazier.