New Mike McCarthy replacement emerges for Cowboys (and he'd be a home run)

Mike McCarthy has received an outpouring of support in recent weeks. Between Troy Aikman, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys' head coach has the backing of franchise legends and current faces of the franchise as he enters the final four games of his contract.

Aikman thinks McCarthy will be back in 2025, while Prescott and Parsons have both stated publicly that they want McCarthy to get another year. That could make all the difference for Jerry Jones.

Ultimately, McCarthy's fate might hinge on how the Cowboys finish the season. They lost on Monday night in embarrassing fashion. Special teams gaffe aside, that Rico Dowdle only carried 18 times despite averaging 7.3 yards per tote while Cooper Rush dropped back 31 times is a bad look for McCarthy.

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It is easy to say Dallas should fire McCarthy. But whom should they target to replace him? Bill Belichick has officially taken the UNC job, while Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson wants a front office that has accountability. That makes him a non-starter.

Well, another candidate has emerged out of the blue and they might just be the best of the remaining bunch.

Cowboys linked with former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel

In a recent column (subscription required), ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler circled the Cowboys as a potential landing spot for Mike Vrabel.

"Some around the league have noted the Cowboys as a natural fit [with Vrabel]," Fowler writes. "They valued experience and pedigree with their last hire in Mike McCarthy and could lean that way again, if they decide to make a change at all."

There is a lot to like about the idea of Vrabel replacing McCarthy. As Fowler notes, Vrabel has previous experience, which is vitally important to the Joneses. Beyond that, Vrabel had immense success with the Titans despite a limited payroll and middling quarterback play.

Vrabel went 54-45 in six seasons with Tennessee. He led them to three straight playoff berths, including back-to-back AFC South titles in 2020 and '21.

The Titans made the AFC Championship Game in 2019 as a Wild Card team under Vrabel's tutelage and knocked out the then-reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots on the road in the first round. All with the uninspiring Ryan Tannehill as his QB.

Vrabel's Titans were perennially among the most physical in the NFL. They learned to win ugly and were fundamentally sound, both of which can be attributed to his Patriots roots as a player. Under McCarthy, the Cowboys have often lacked in physicality and struggled with fundamentals and discipline.

With an upper-echelon quarterback in Dak Prescott and a defense that has multiple building blocks and a unicorn in Micah Parsons, Vrabel would be set up to thrive in Dallas. With Belichick off the board and Johnson unlikely to consider the Cowboys, Vrabel would be an excellent hire.

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