Jerry Jones senses the despair in the pulse of Dallas Cowboys fans. During the introductory press conference of new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, Jones acknowledged the big risk the Cowboys are taking with their faith in him.
So, why would Jones take such a significant risk? He explained his reasoning to media and fans alike.
Jerry Jones Admits Hiring Brian Schottenheimer Is ‘Big Risk’
The Cowboys interviewed four candidates, including Schottenheimer, after news of Mike McCarthy’s departure was confirmed: former Cowboys and current Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier, and former Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
In addition, the front office also held preliminary discussions with Deion Sanders.
Despite his long stint as a league coordinator, Schottenheimer’s résumé is not distinctively stellar. His competitors, including Kellen Moore and Robert Saleh, have shown more substance as coordinators.
Many Cowboys fans are skeptical, as the front office’s lofty ambitions don’t seem aligned with recruiting. There’s a perception that the man in charge wants only people he’s well-acquainted with to work with him.
Jones recognized this dissonance and acknowledged how the Cowboys’ decision to go with Schottenheimer seemed risky.
“Now I get my proverbial a** kicked over needing people in my comfort zone. Without this thing being about me in any way, if you don’t think I can’t operate out of my comfort zone, you’re so wrong, it’s unbelievable. This is as big a risk as you can take. No head coaching experience!
“With all of that, you’ve just heard him reference his osmosis, his family. Anybody in this room that doesn’t believe the apple doesn’t go far from the tree has missed it some place down the road. Especially if there was an effort to make it that way.
“But then you go around to the countless numbers of coaches Shotty had served on staff with and been around. The countless players. How often do you have someone that’s had 25 years of working through the human relationship and working, aspiring to learn and has his ears and eyes wide open and looking for techniques and things that make coaches better?”
Jerry Jones on hiring Brian Schottenheimer:
“If you don’t think I can operate outside my comfort zone, you are so wrong. This (hiring Schottenheimer) is as big a risk as you can take. No head coaching experience.”pic.twitter.com/hOUAw8mJ6H
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 27, 2025
Schottenheimer’s hiring has been criticized by two Cowboys receiver legends, Michael Irvin and Dez Bryant. These opinions are widely echoed by other parts of the fan base of “America’s Team.”
The 2023 Cowboys were the top-ranked scoring offense in Schottenheimer’s first year as offensive coordinator but fell to 23rd amid injuries to Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, and CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys’ offense also finished No. 23 in PFN’s Offense+ metric — a single, easy-to-digest grade that is created using statistics such as EPA, success rate, points per drive, and yards per play.
In Schottenheimer’s 14 seasons as offensive coordinator, it’s the fifth time he’s had a team rank 20th or worse in points per game and the seventh time they’ve ranked in the bottom half of the league.
It is clear that the Cowboys could have gone with a more experienced hand as their head coach. But banking on Schottenheimer’s relationship with the Cowboys’ veterans and his work in 2023 is also defensible logic. And it seems to be the one that Jones has gone with in promoting his former offensive coordinator.