The Dallas Cowboys are now free to interview more candidates for their head coaching vacancy following the Divisional Round.
Some names to watch in that regard are Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Per the latest buzz, only Glenn seems to be on the Cowboys' radar, but the world is Jerry Jones' oyster right now.
That is admittedly a terrifying thought.
A handful of names are circulating on the rumor mill. While former OC Kellen Moore is seemingly the frontrunner after being the first to interview, the likes of Robert Saleh, Deion Sanders and Leslie Frazier have all been mentioned with some sort of legitimacy.
It is only a matter of time until the Cowboys reveal more interviews. Well, as the Eagles and Commanders punched tickets to the NFC Championship Game this weekend, a dark horse candidate entered the mix. To say Dallas fans are against this idea would be a comprehensive understatement.
Cowboys could hire offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as new head coach
According to the latest DraftKings odds, Brian Schottenheimer, the team's offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy for the last two seasons, has taken over as the favorite to land the Cowboys' job at -250. Moore was the previous favorite and is now +250.
UPDATE: Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that Dallas will officially interview Schottenheimer
Beyond that, Joseph Hoyt of DLLS reported Dallas is "intrigued" by what the offense would look like with Schottenheimer calling plays. McCarthy obviously called plays the last two seasons and Schottenhiemer only served as a consultant in 2022 when Moore was still the OC.
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Schottenheimer is a natural leader and great communicator so it stands to reason he'd be a better head coach than an offensive coordinator. However, that is not saying much.
Over 14 years as an NFL offensive coordinator, Schottenheimer's teams have finished in the bottom half of the league 11 times. He only twice piloted a top-10 offense in terms of total yards (2019 with Seattle and 2023 with Dallas) and he didn't even call plays in 2023.
If we have access to those numbers, so do the Cowboys. Maybe Schottenheimer deviates from McCarthy's scheme, but his track record is the opposite of promising. However, there is one thing working in Schottenheimer's favor.
You know Jerry Jones views Jason Witten as a future head coach and Witten has been floated as a potential understudy to whomever is hired? Well, of all the candidates mentioned - including Moore - Schotty gives off the largest placeholder vibe until Witten was ready.
That obviously assumes Witten is hired, but multiple insiders have said Witten is likely to join the Cowboys this offseason in some capacity.
Regardless if Schottenheimer is viewed as the ultimate Witten placeholder, he is by far the least intriguing of the candidates linked to the job. Hiring him would be the clearest sign yet Jerry Jones' main objective as team owner is to chase headlines while saving as much money along the way.