Dallas Cowboys

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders will face each other on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.

But that doesn't mean that fans of both teams couldn't come together, however briefly, to troll the Dallas Cowboys:

We may hate each other but we can all agree that DALLAS SUCKS pic.twitter.com/VqtQpLeI03

— Tailgate Ted (@TailgateTed) January 26, 2025

It's been a rough few weeks for the Cowboys.

The team went 7-10 this past season and watched as both the Eagles and Commanders marched through the playoffs. And in the process, the Cowboys became the NFC team with the longest NFC Championship Game drought, now stretching all the way back to 1995.

The previous holders of that dubious distinction were the Detroit Lions and these Commanders, dating back to 1991. But the Lions ended their drought last season and the Commanders did so this year.

And while all of that was transpiring, the Cowboys made a highly controversial hire at head coach, promoting offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the position. With far more vaunted potential candidates heading elsewhere, that hiring was met with a sense of existential dread from a fan base that has grown weary of Jerry Jones' leadership and the team's lack of Super Bowl appearances in the past 30 years.

Sunday is an exciting day in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. But in Dallas, "dreary" would probably be the adjective of choice.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer confirmed that he wouldn't be returning to the team in 2025 and will likely retire from coaching in the NFL, according to NFL insider Ed Werder.

On Friday, the Cowboys promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach after parting ways with Mike McCarthy.

The writing appeared to be on the wall regarding Zimmer's future in Dallas following the move, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Friday that former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was a "prime candidate" to take over as defensive coordinator.

Zimmer served as a defensive analyst and consultant at Colorado in 2023 before the Cowboys brought him in to replace former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who became the Washington Commanders' head coach.

His NFL journey started with the Cowboys in 1994, beginning as a defensive assistant. Zimmer was later promoted to defensive backs coach in 1995 and eventually became the team's defensive coordinator from 2000-06.

He also operated in defensive coordinator roles with the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals before taking over as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 through 2021.

The Cowboys struggled defensively in Zimmer's first year back, although it's worth noting that they dealt with injuries to several key players. Pass-rusher Micah Parsons, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Trevon Diggs and defensive back DaRon Bland all missed multiple games due to injuries.

Dallas allowed 27.5 points and 355.2 yards per game in 2024, the second and fifth-worst averages in the league respectively.

McKee to DeVonta Smith!

Eagles lead 41-7 over Dallas.

📺: #DALvsPHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/E1RQrDpP6l

— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024

Zimmer specifying that his NFL career is coming to a close could leave the door open for a college return. Before he was part of the Buffaloes in 2023, he was also with head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State as a consultant in 2022.

As the Cowboys open their new era with Schottenheimer, they'll also be bringing in a new defensive coordinator for the 2025 season.

The Dallas Cowboys requested an interview with Atlanta Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger regarding the team's vacant offensive coordinator position, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Koger previously spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021-23 as a tight ends coach before joining the Falcons ahead of their 2024 campaign.

The Cowboys are looking to fill out the staff of Brian Schottenheimer, who was hired as their new head coach on Friday.

Koger previously interviewed for the Cleveland Browns' opening at offensive coordinator, per Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. The Browns eventually hired tight ends coach and pass game specialist Tommy Rees to fill the role, though.

Before his time with the Falcons and Chargers, Koger was an offensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers in 2019 and 2020. He was also on Eastern Kentucky's coaching staff from 2016-18, working with the team's wide receivers and taking on special teams coordinator duties in his final year with the school.

Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts averaged just 35.4 receiving yards per game in 2024, but it's worth noting he was also targeted a career-low 4.4 times each week. Pitts made the most of his limited opportunities, catching a personal-best 63.5 percent of his targets and scoring a career-high four touchdowns.

Kyle Pitts 49-yard TOUCHDOWN. #NationalTightEndsDay

📺: #ATLvsTB on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/GTk6Nm51LJ

— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

Koger will likely work closely with Schottenheimer if he's hired, as Dallas' new head coach also served as its offensive coordinator in 2023 and 2024.

The Cowboys' offense took a step back in 2024 as they dealt with several injuries to key players, highlighted by Dak Prescott appearing in just eight games before undergoing season-ending hamstring surgery.

During the regular season, Dallas' scoring average of 20.6 points each week ranked No. 21 among all teams.

As the Cowboys attempt to get their offense back on track, they appear to have interest in Koger.

The Dallas Cowboys reportedly interviewed Chicago Bears secondary coach Andre Curtis for the team's defensive coordinator position under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.

The Cowboys are "going through a number of interviews" as Schottenheimer begins the process of putting together his staff.

Curtis, 48, has spent the past two years coaching Chicago's safeties. He previously had stints on the coaching staffs of the New York Giants (2006-08), St. Louis Rams (2009-11) and Seattle Seahawks (2015-21). He coached Seattle's defensive backs between 2016-21.

There have also been reports that former Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus is a candidate—and potentially the heavy frontrunner—to serve as the team's defensive coordinator:

The Cowboys officially named Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach last night. Sources expect him to call the plays on offense as head coach. Former Bears coach Matt Eberflus is a strong candidate for defensive coordinator there. @NFLonCBS

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 25, 2025

Cowboys are in discussions w/ Matt Eberflus to become team’s defensive coordinator, 2 people w/ knowledge of club’s thinking said.

Eberflus made a big impression in his time in Dallas before moving on to become the DC in Indianapolis & the HC in Chicago.

Prohibitive favorite.

— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) January 25, 2025

One name to watch during this coaching process is Matt Eberflus. He's going to interview for the Cowboys' vacant DC position, a person with knowledge of the teams thought process said Friday night.

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) January 25, 2025

As for the 51-year-old Schottenheimer, his hiring was not a popular choice among NFL pundits and Cowboys' fans:

Why are so many reporters on here claiming that other recent coaching hires were criticized as heavily as the Brian Schottenheimer hire, and that those hires have worked out? NO recent coaching hire has been criticized this heavily, especially by his team's fan base.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 26, 2025

Irvin says in his video that he'd been ill this week, before finding out the Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer. Irvin sums it up like this: "Sick with the flu, and then hit with doo-doo."

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 26, 2025

The Cowboys will always be my first sports love. And I’ll always keep tabs on what they’re doing and wish them well. Like an old girlfriend. But Jerry Jones has created “irreconcilable differences” with many Dallas fans. I can’t blindly support him or the franchise anymore.

— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) January 26, 2025

It’s the build up of many years of frustration. I’d never leave a team that I thought was doing everything it could to win … even if it didn’t win. Jerry’s not doing that. His personnel and roster decisions are laughable. He’s Al Davis 2.0.

— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) January 26, 2025

Cowboys Fans After Hiring Brian Schottenheimer pic.twitter.com/PMex2htz1a

— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) January 25, 2025

Cowboys head coach might be the most prestigious coaching job in the NFL.

In a head coach fantasy draft, how many get picked ahead of Brian Schottenheimer?

It’s way more than 31.

50? 75? 100?

— Micah Adams (@MAdamsStatGuy) January 25, 2025

The backlash to Schottenheimer's hiring is multi-faceted.

For one, Dallas spent a week in head-coaching purgatory with Mike McCarthy, who was out of contract after the 2024 season. Rather than make a decisive decision to either sign him to an extension or hire him, they spent a week in discussions before the sides parted ways, costing the Cowboys a week they could have otherwise utilized to interview top candidates on the market like Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson.

Then, the hype train built around a potential Deion Sanders hire, even if that was never likely. And it all resulted in hiring the team's offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, Schottenheimer, whose offense took a step back in 2024 (17th in yards, 21st in scoring) after a strong 2023 effort (fifth in yards, first in scoring).

The perception of team owner Jerry Jones, fair or not, is that he prefers to hire "yes men" at head coach rather than bigger, more established names who will push back against his hands-on approach and decision-making as the team's general manager. Outside of Bill Parcells' stint in Dallas (2003-06), Jones has generally avoided hiring head coaches who would rock the proverbial boat since his infamous falling out with Jimmy Johnson, the architect of the team's success in the early '90s.

Schottenheimer isn't a rock-the-boat hire. And fans and pundits believe this particular boat, which hasn't sailed in championship waters since 1995, needed to chart a course in a different and more daring direction.

Former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin believes Jerry Jones made a mistake by not hiring Deion Sanders as the team's next head coach.

The Cowboys announced Friday that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer would replace former head coach Mike McCarthy.

"Here's my issue: We lost an opportunity here," Irvin said Saturday on his YouTube channel (2:50 mark of the video above.) "I don't know what will happen with Coach Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys, but Jerry's a shrewd, shrewd businessman, and this opportunity, I'm shocked he did not see.

"I was pushing for Deion Sanders to be the next head coach, and I still stand ten toes down on that push."

Sanders led Colorado to a 9-4 record this fall, two years after taking over the program following a 1-11 run in 2022.

Now that his sons Shedeur and Shilo Sanders are leaving the program this spring, Sanders has said he would consider taking a job in the NFL next season.

Schottenheimer first joined the Cowboys in 2022 as a consultant alongside former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

He was promoted to offensive coordinator after Kellen Moore was fired following the 2022 season.

Irvin was unimpressed with the Cowboys' decision to hire someone who had both been with the team for two seasons without a playoff win, and had never had head coaching experience at any level.

Sanders, who has never coached in the NFL, has six seasons of experience in college coaching at Jackson State and Colorado.

"You're bringing in someone that was already inside as the head coach. You lose things there, that you can't grab back," Irvin said.

Irvin continued: "They don't have curfew. They don't have discipline. They were fourth in penalties issued. So, how do you fix that? You go an be more disciplined, or be more of a disciplinarian. How do you do that when you're coming from the inside?"

Irvin later summed up the issue with the question: "How do you do the same damn thing and get something different?"

"That's why hiring Deion was the right call," Irvin concluded. "The Raiders hired Pete Carroll, he had some experience. Last time, when we did Mike McCarthy, he had some experience. I got to slap myself, and say, 'Give it a chance, man, at least they walked the walk already.'

"Brian hadn't walked no walk. So what does he got over Deion?"

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the day before Schottenheimer's hiring (h/t On3's Dan Morrison) that the talks about Sanders had "quieted," but that Jones "knows Deion Sanders is always there."

Jones instead decided to promote from within, a decision that especially frustrated Irvin given that two of the Cowboys' NFC East rivals— the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders— are currently one win away from playing in the Super Bowl.

So are the Kansas City Chiefs. Irvin said the Cowboys are at risk of losing the nickname America's Team to the Chiefs.

That is especially a risk given the support the Chiefs have received from Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark, Irvin said, before noting that he is a fan of both.

"A third of Cowboys nation has never felt or lived the glory of a championship story. Don't even know about it... a generation that knows nothing about a championship from the so-called America's Team," Irvin said. "And worse yet, that generation has seen total domination from a team named the Kansas City Chiefs.

"So, not only are you losing football games over here, and opportunities over here, even divisions over here, you're about to get our moniker snatched off our backs."

The Cowboys have been eliminated from playoff contention from over a month. The team will now wait to see if the Schottenheimer hiring is enough to help them compete with the Eagles and Commanders next season.

The Dallas Cowboys officially named offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach on Friday evening.

With that, here's a look at how the Cowboys currently stand via their two-deep depth chart, salary cap situation and future draft picks.

Depth chart information is via the team's official website, with adjustments made to account for players who are not under contract in 2025. Over the Cap is the source for salary cap figures.

An asterisk denotes the player is an impending free agent.

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Offense (2-Deep)

QB: Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush*

RB: Rico Dowdle*, Deuce Vaughn

WR: CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Brooks

WR: Brandin Cooks*, KaVontae Turpin*

WR: Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy

TE: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker

LT: Tyler Guyton, Chuma Edoga*

LG: Tyler Smith, T.J. Bass

C: Cooper Beebe, Brock Hoffman*

RG: Zack Martin*, T.J. Bass

RT: Terence Steele, Chuma Edoga*

FB: Hunter Luepke

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Defense

DE: Chauncey Gholston*, Marshawn Kneeland

NT: Mazi Smith, Linval Joseph*

DT: Osa Odighizuma*, Carlos Watkins*

DE: Micah Parsons, Carl Lawson*

LB: Marist Liufau, Damone Clark

LB: Eric Kendricks*, Nick Vigil*

LB: DeMarvion Overshown, Buddy Johnson

CB: Trevon Diggs, C.J. Goodwin*

NCB: Jourdan Lewis*, Israel Mukuamu*

CB: DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson

S: Donovan Wilson, Markquese Bell*

S: Malik Hooker, Juanyeh Thomas*

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Special Teams

K: Brandon Aubrey

P: Bryan Anger

LS: Trent Sieg*

KR: KaVontae Turpin*

PR: KaVontae Turpin*

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Salary Cap

Per Over the Cap, Dallas is currently $285,056 over the 2025 cap of $272,500,000. Taking effective cap space into account, though, Dallas is $4,471,037 over the cap. Over the Cap defines effective cap space as "the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster."

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Draft Picks

Here's a look at the team's 2025 draft picks, per Marcus Mosher of Locked on Cowboys.

The #Cowboys will own the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

No. 12
No. 44
No. 76
No. 148
No. 168*
No. 170*
No. 171*
No. 187
No. 209*
No. 248

*compensatory (subject to change)

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 6, 2025

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The Cowboys were in the market for a new head coach after parting ways with Mike McCarthy, whose five-year contract expired after this season.

Schottenheimer was the Cowboys' offensive coordinator under McCarthy each of the past two years. He's taking on a tough task in Dallas, overseeing a team that hasn't been to the NFC Championship Game since 1995, the longest drought in the conference. He also has to lead a team in a brutally tough NFC East that features this year's conference championship game participants, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.

The Cowboys just endured a disappointing 7-10 season in which the team missed the playoffs by four games. They still retain some of the talent, though, that led to back-to-back-to-back 12-win seasons from 2021-2023.

Dallas will get a boost in the form of quarterback Dak Prescott, who will return from a midseason hamstring injury that ended his season. The Cowboys also have a couple superstars in wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons.

But this roster needs improvements on both sides of the ball. Dallas largely had a quiet offseason in 2024 in terms of bringing in outside talent, and the Cowboys really can't afford another similar one in 2025. The problem is that Dallas has a tough cap situation to navigate right now, although the team will have 10 draft picks, including No. 12 overall.

Ultimately, it's up to Schottenheimer to turn this team around. He'll be officially introduced to the public as Dallas' head coach on Monday.

The Dallas Cowboys' decision to promote Brian Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach may have raised some eyebrows, but he reportedly has support from a prominent member of the roster.

According to ESPN's Todd Archer, quarterback Dak Prescott and Schottenheimer have a "good relationship," and Prescott "likes Schottenheimer's creativity."

Schottenheimer, 51, was elevated from coaching analyst to offensive coordinator in 2023, which coincided with the best statistical season of Prescott's career.

#Cowboys QBs coach Scott Tolzien, whose contract has expired, is expected to move on from Dallas, source said. A talented QB tutor who coached Dak Prescott during his MVP runner-up season, Tolzien should resurface soon.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2025

Although head coach Mike McCarthy was the offensive play-caller during Schottenheimer's time as OC, Archer noted that some around the situation believed Schottenheimer was behind the schematic changes that turned the Dallas offense around after a slow start in 2023.

The Cowboys went on to rank fifth in total offense and first in scoring offense in 2023, and the team went 12-5, winning the NFC East title.

Prescott completed a career-best 69.5 percent of his passes for 4,516 yards and a career-high 36 touchdowns with only nine interceptions.

As a result, Prescott was named a Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro, plus he finished second in the NFL MVP voting behind only Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Expectations were high entering the 2024 campaign, but the Cowboys struggled out of the gates and Prescott took a big step back.

Before suffering a hamstring injury that cost him the final nine games of the season, Prescott went 3-5 in eight starts and completed 64.7 percent of his passing attempts for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight picks.

As a credit to Schottenheimer and even McCarthy, the team didn't quit after losing Prescott, and it can be argued that the offense actually improved.

In eight starts as Prescott's replacement, Cooper Rush went 4-4 and in the 12 games he appeared in overall, he completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Cowboys allowed McCarthy's contract to expire at the conclusion of the 2024 season, leaving them in the market for a new head coach.

Dallas' search wasn't particularly expansive, as the organization interviewed Schottenheimer, former Cowboys and current Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore, former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier.

The Cowboys ultimately decided to maintain some continuity with Schottenheimer, which could be a good thing for Prescott and the offense in terms of hitting the ground running in 2025.

Kellen Moore has a pretty good gig right now as offensive coordinator for a Philadelphia Eagles team that's one win away from reaching the Super Bowl, but he did have his eyes on returning to the Dallas Cowboys as their head coach.

Per ESPN's Todd Archer, Moore was believed to "covet" the Cowboys job before the organization announced on Friday that Brian Schottenheimer was being hired to replace Mike McCarthy.

The Cowboys' entire process was strange, to say the least. It started with them waiting an extra week after the end of the regular season to decide they were parting ways with McCarthy when their exclusive negotiating window ended on Jan. 14 since his contract expired on week earlier.

But that decision was only made after the two sides were negotiating a contract, only to break things off when they couldn't agree on the length of a new deal.

Immediately after McCarthy's departure was announced, the Cowboys and Deion Sanders did a good job making sure everyone knew they spoke about his interest in the job.

“To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing,” Deion Sanders told ESPN on Monday night. “I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team,… pic.twitter.com/OMossS9iOx

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2025

That went nowhere because there's no indication Sanders had any sort of formal interview. Moore, Schottenheimer, Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier were among the candidates confirmed to have met with club officials.

Moore's interest in the Cowboys job is hardly a surprise. He played for the organization for three seasons from 2015 to '17, then immediately joined their coaching staff in 2018 after his playing career ended.

The longest stint Moore has had in a single job as a coach was his four-year tenure as Cowboys offensive coordinator from 2019 to '22. He spent the 2023 season as offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, then got hired for the same role by the Eagles in February 2024.

Jerry Jones loves to keep things in the extended Cowboys family when it comes to hiring people. Moore would have fit that bill, as does Schottenheimer. The 51-year-old has worked with the team since 2022 when he was hired as a coaching analyst before replacing Moore as offensive coordinator prior to the 2023 season.

Former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is a "prime candidate" to become the Dallas Cowboys' next defensive coordinator after the team officially promoted ex-offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach on Friday.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the news.

Sources consider former #Bears head coach Matt Eberflus a prime candidate for the #Cowboys defensive coordinator job under new coach Brian Schottenheimer, per sources. Eberflus was a Cowboys assistant from 2011-17. pic.twitter.com/tIPvtLA6II

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 25, 2025

Eberflus was Dallas' linebackers coach from 2011-2017, adding passing game coordinator duties in 2016 and 2017. He then worked as the Indianapolis Colts' defensive coordinator for four seasons before the Bears hired him as their head coach in 2022. Eberflus went 14-32 in two-plus campaigns before Chicago parted ways with him on Nov. 29, 2024.

Indianapolis' defenses fared well under Eberflus, finishing top 10 in scoring in three of his four years there. Obviously, things didn't work out in Chicago, but Eberflus could easily land on his feet quickly amid links to the Cowboys.

It's clear Cowboys owner Jerry Jones respects Eberflus from his time in Dallas before, and now he'll the leading candidate to be in charge of a talented defense that vastly underperformed last year, allowing the second-most points in football (468).

Dallas was in search of a new coaching staff after parting ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after five seasons. The Cowboys brought Schottenheimer in as a consultant before hiring him as the offensive coordinator in 2023. Dallas finished first in scoring in 2023 but fell to 21st in 2024.

His hiring was ultimately a surprise considering that Schottenheimer has struggled at previous OC stops, coupled with the fact that he's never been a head coach before.

However, Dallas is rolling with him, and now it appears Eberflus will lead a defense that sorely needs to improve after last year's performance.