Dallas Cowboys: 3 head coach options if McCarthy fails in 2023

Complacency is a legitimate weakness in the NFL. Some coaches have won Super Bowl titles and received a lot of grace to keep them from getting the boot. The Dallas Cowboys has one foot in and one out into this category.

In Arlington, Texas, where the lights are bright and the attention is plentiful, that same grace is nowhere to be found.

Coaches need to produce wins. Unfortunately, fans are sometimes much more challenging on personnel than the front office.

Talking about replacing a head coach who has back-to-back 12-win seasons seems preposterous.

Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys will have a tough sell to fans if Mike McCarthy cannot get this team deep in the playoffs.

For the record, Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn will not be a part of this equation. It is nothing to do with him being a legitimate candidate. This article focuses on outside candidates who should and should not get a look.

Mike is dealing with a proverbial double-edged sword. Unfortunately, it is a sharp weapon that may end up being his ultimate downfall.

On the one hand, the Cowboys’ roster is ready-made. Talent is abundant on the offensive side of the ball, and a potential top-5 defense at the helm.

At the same time, there are no excuses for him to land on if he falters.

Mike will not have a slower running back to peek toward or a young offensive coordinator to give backhand compliments.

The onus will be on him and him alone.

Jerry may give McCarthy more time considering how much he gave Coach Clap.

However, if he does not, there are a couple of coaches that can help the quarterback get closer to their ultimate goal and one that Dallas needs to stay away from.

Could the Dallas Cowboys bring back a familiar face for Dak Prescott?

Current Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had successful years play calling for the Dallas Cowboys.

In 2019 and 2021, Moore had their offense clicking. They ranked as the number-one offense in the NFL in both years as far as total yards.

Whether you like him or not, Dak Prescott looked like a legit top-5 quarterback in this league.

They were also top-4 in 2022 in points scored.

So, what was the problem?

There were many reasons for the split, but ultimately it came down to a difference in philosophies between the offensive coordinator and head coach.

What happens if you remove Mike McCarthy from the equation?

Jerry and his front office would at least consider bringing Kellen back into the fold.

Another Jason Garrett type of vibe was going on in Dallas, and Jones loves to poke out his chest with coaches that came up the ranks under his watch.

Whether or not Dak Prescott would enjoy rekindling this connection is easy to guess.  Dak had a good relationship with Kellen Moore, and it was evident that his departure wasn’t a pill he could swallow easily.

Some people believe he could develop into a Kyle Shanahan coach, and others fear he is a product of inflated numbers.

In either case, Moore’s brand will skyrocket as he calls plays for Justin Herbert.

His offense will look explosive, and teams will want to give him a chance to be the face of their coaching staff.

Please believe Jerry has Kellen’s number on speed dial, and a conversation will happen if the head coaching role for the Dallas Cowboys is vacant.

The one area that Dallas may need to overcome is losing Dan Quinn if Moore returns.

Retaining Quinn is only possible with the head coaching job as a viable option for him.

Hell, who could blame him?

It would be a tough decision for the executive team, but Moore will definitely be on the short list.

Bills Quarterbacks Coach Joe Brady is a long shot, but he would certainly help Dak.

Dak Prescott has been at the cusp of doing some great things in this league.

However, Dallas continues to stall out early in the playoffs.

A change-up in coaching leadership may be what the doctor ordered.

Currently, Joe Brady is the quarterbacks’ coach for the Buffalo Bills. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers.

That combination with then-Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule crashed and burned in short order.

You need to take another step back to learn who Joe Brady is.

Does anyone remember the legendary 2020 LSU run with Joe Burrow at the helm? If you do, you know Brady was a large part of that success.

He was never the actual offensive coordinator, but he had a hand in developing an unstoppable strategy that ultimately led to a championship under Head Coach Ed Orgeron.

Last season, the Bills’ offense put up 28.4 points per game which was second only to the Kansas City Chiefs. Josh Allen looked much more efficient and comfortable in the pocket.

Allen’s numbers didn’t skyrocket but they also didn’t tank when he lost OC Brian Daboll to the Giants.

Some will say it’s a big jump from quarterbacks coach to head coach, but others quickly rose to the top.

Minnesota Head Coach Kevin O’Connell was the QB coach for Washington Commanders before his promotion to the OC spot. He spent one season with Washington in that role and another with the Los Angeles Rams.

That’s a total of 2 seasons as the offensive coordinator. O’Connell has had some early success and a solid marriage with Kirk Cousins.

It would be plausible for Prescott and Brady to have similar type of success.

Dallas may be weary of making another move like this one. Garrett was the offensive coordinator briefly before becoming the head coach.

He was only the quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins for one season before that.

Jerry has been tolerant in letting coaches grow on the job.

It’s still uncertain if he will allow that same process to unfold with the roster that he currently has. This roster is in win-now mode.

Joe Brady would be a solid mind to tag-team with Prescott, but the timing may not be great for Dallas.

This Dallas Cowboys head coach candidate has Jerry written all over him.

Bill O’Brien crashed and burned miserably with the Houston Texans.

He was not coaching a team full of scrubs. O’Brien had legit talent and made it his life’s work to disassemble it.

First, it was the DeAndre Hopkins debacle. Hopkins’ trade was for less-than-value trade assets and a running back whose face is on the back of milk cartons.

The Deshaun Watson situation had blame to pass around.

Few quarterbacks would want to play for a team when you are deliberately trading away his top weapons. However, Watson did enough to hurt what they were building after O’Brien was long gone.

The intrigue is going to be around his decent win percentage in Houston.

Coincidentally, from 2007 – 2011, he was a New England Patriots staff member. He wasn’t around for the championship seasons, but he was in the presence of the GOAT.

Would that give him enough shine to entice Jerry?

I believe it would. Bill O’Brien is currently the OC for the Patriots now. For some reason, the Patriots’ OC typically gets a second bite at the apple. Josh McDaniels is now grinding up his second opportunity.

How many ways can I stress how bad of an idea this would be?

When Watson played with his team in Houston, they did not perform better than an average scoring team.

O’Brien gives the impression that he is a hard-nosed, salt of the Earth type of coach. That’s a false advertisement, and he would be an enormous mistake by the front office.

Dallas Cowboys: The 2 most important coaching positions and their impact

The Dallas Cowboys made some coaching changes to improve the overall production of their team, but there are two coaching positions that are impactful.

If they consider going this route, turn around and return the other way. The 12-win coach in the building would do a much better job.