There isn’t much going on with the Dallas Cowboys right now. Don’t tell Jerry Jones. He might hop on 105.3 The Fan just to create a headline.
Jokes aside, Christian Parker's defensive staff is slowly but surely coming together. That's an important step, but another intriguing storyline in Dallas right now involves former head coach Mike McCarthy, who took the same position in Pittsburgh after Mike Tomlin stepped down.
McCarthy's Steelers staff is quickly taking shape as well. He’s already poached Cowboys assistant offensive line coach Ramon Chinyoun, and he apparently has more thievery on his mind. Only this time, Kellen Moore is in the crosshairs.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers plan to interview Saints quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien for their offensive coordinator opening. Tolzien played under McCarthy as a backup QB in Green Bay and then coached under McCarthy with the Cowboys from 2000 to 2024.
Tolzien was one of the first hires that Moore made last offseason after landing the New Orleans job. By all accounts, Tolzien did an excellent job helping second-round pick Tyler Shough deliver a strong rookie campaign. He would be a big loss for Moore's staff.
Mike McCarthy trying to steal Scott Tolzien from Kellen Moore is cinema for Cowboys fans
McCarthy and Moore didn’t always share the same vision for the Cowboys’ offense. That disconnect ultimately led to Moore and Dallas mutually agreeing to part ways after the 2022 season, clearing the path for McCarthy to take over play-calling.
The Cowboys attempted to sugarcoat the optics, but Moore was fired. And much to the chagrin of fans, McCarthy later went public with his dissatisfaction with Moore’s play-calling.
“Kellen wants to light the scoreboard up, but I want him to run the damn ball so I can rest my defense," McCarthy said. "I think when you’re a coordinator, you know, but you’re in charge of the offense. Being a head coach and being a play caller, you’re a little more in tune with (everything).
I don’t desire to be the No. 1 offense in the league. I want to be the No. 1 team in the league with the number of wins and a championship. And if we’ve got to give up some production and take care of the ball a little better to get that, then that’s what we’ll do because we have a really good defense.”
The irony of it all is that the Cowboys had a top-five scoring offense in both 2022 and 2023. The offense didn't skip a beat regardless of who called plays, but there was clearly underlying friction between Dallas' head coach and play-caller in 2022.
That McCarthy is now trying to poach Tolzien from Moore is grab-your-popcorn-level content for Cowboys fans.
Under Tolzien -- and Moore, to be fair -- Tyler Shough completed 67.6 percent of passes for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns to six interceptions in nine starts. Had he started more games, he'd be the runaway favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
This is simply the nature of the NFL. When promotions are on the line, no coach is ever truly safe, making Tolzien the latest Dallas-connected coach McCarthy could take with him to Pittsburgh.