Cowboys roundtable: Favored head coaching candidates and playoff games predictions
Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable.
Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Brian Martin, Tom Ryle, and RJ Ochoa, David Howman and Jess Haynie.
Who is your favorite for the Cowboys head coaching role?
With the departure of Mike McCarthy two weeks ago the Dallas Cowboys have been a hot topic in the news. Deion Sanders was an early name thrown in the ringer which caused a huge media storm last week. Other ex-Cowboys names have been talked about as taking the head coaching role or positional coaching roles that are currently vacant such as Kellen Moore, Jason Witten and Demarco Murray. There’s certainly no shortage of names on the list and looking to be scheduled for an interview.
Jess: Ben Johnson was the easy answer, and the fact that he didn’t even get an interview or wanted one is the saddest testimony yet to the state of the Cowboys and the reputation of the front office. But moving on, the guy I’d want next is Bills OC Joe Brady. Like Johnson, he’d be a better version of who we’ll probably end up with in Kellen Moore.
Howman: My favorite, in general, is Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores for reasons I outlined here. It doesn’t seem like the Cowboys are interested though, just as they weren’t interested in my preferred candidate last time, Dan Campbell. So, of the names they’ve actually interviewed, I prefer Robert Saleh. He has a good reputation as a leader, has always produced strong defenses, and has only ever hired offensive coordinators from the Shanahan tree. His lack of any real success as a head coach concerns me, but Saleh at least provides a solid floor.
RJ: If we are living in a world of practicality then that excludes people like Aaron Glenn in my mind. Kellen Moore is among the candidates whom I hate the least, but it still just feels like a commitment to the same which I am not a fan of. If I had to pick one right now honestly my most-preferred option is Deion Sanders. I recognize how silly of a time we are in, but we are so down the rabbit hole that I wonder if his disposition could do this team good.
Brian: I’m going to go with a name that hasn’t been linked to the Dallas Cowboys as of yet, Joe Brady. Excluding maybe Ben Johnson, he’s been arguably the most successful, innovative, and creative play-caller the last several years that teams are going to start looking at to fill the HC opening. He’s known to work directly with his QB to help determine what plays they like and which ones they don’t and I believe he would be a great pairing with Dak Prescott.
Tom: I have a hard time with this, because as you may be aware, I don’t think the coaching staff is the problem. The Cowboys are a truly dysfunctional organization, and the dysfunction starts with the owner/general manager/spokesman/chief celebrity, Jerry Jones. As long as he is running the team, it is going to be stuck in an endless cycle of being a bit above or below average. Having said that, I think the best choice would be Kellen Moore, with Aaron Glenn a close second. They know the situation, especially Moore, and would probably do better at making the best of a bad situation than a true outsider. They have an advantage over Deion Sanders because they would not make Jerry feel like his spotlight is being stolen. As for who I think is going to get the job, I am filled with pessimism about all the talk about Brian Schottenheimer.
Do you think the Cowboys should draft a backup quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft? If so, who would you take in which round?
Currently the only other quarterback on the Cowboys roster next season, other than Dak Prescott, is Will Grier. That poses the question on what this new coaching department will do to fill the backup role. Will it be draft a quarterback late or find someone in in free agency?
Howman: I don’t see the point. This is a weak quarterback class, so unless you take a guy on Day 2 you’re probably getting a project. Day 2 is way too early to be drafting a backup quarterback and a project is not what you want as a backup. Plus, it doesn’t make sense to add even a developmental guy considering his rookie contract will be up right when Dak Prescott’s deal is up.
Jess - Honestly, it’s too early in my offseason process to get into draft specifics. But speaking generally, I always like it when you keep the QB pipeline moving. Look how that worked out in 2016. Granted, you end up with a lot of Stephen McGees and Ben DiNuccis when you wait until Day 3, but sometimes you also land a guy like Mike White who’s still collecting NFL paychecks. For this year, I would rather QB2 be a veteran who can help Dak Prescott the way Cooper Rush has through the years, if not just a re-signed Rush. But it’d be nice to see a new developmental QB3.
RJ: I’m a big fan at throwing a Day 3 pick at the quarterback position on a bi-annual basis, so to speak. My favorite way in which we have seen this team approach the position at large in recent history was in 2020 when they signed a veteran backup with starting experience in Andy Dalton and drafted a project in Ben DiNucci. I don’t have a preference on who it is, but the path should absolutely be explored.
Brian: I think the Dallas Cowboys have too many other roster needs to spend a draft pick on a developmental QB. That’s especially true after making Dak Prescott the highest-paid player in the league, locking him up for the next several years. I think they will probably go with a priority free agent to add a camp arm, maybe someone like Houston QB Donovan Smith.
Tom: I am usually in favor of taking a QB late, but as has been detailed, this just ain’t the year. Dallas is handcuffed to Prescott, and we have to hope he can recover some of his old form. Until the wheels fall completely off with him, they might as well just bring in a UDFA or two each camp to see if they can find someone who can maybe be a backup one day.
Which two teams do you predict to win this weekend and head to the Super Bowl?
This weekend are the deciding games for this year’s Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles take on the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship. Kickoff will commence at 3:00 p.m ET on Sunday from Lincoln Financial Field and Vegas has the Eagles as -6 favorites. Then at 6:30 p.m ET the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship. That game is a much closer predicted game with Kansas as only a -2 favorite to win.
Jess: I’m going Buffalo and Philly. After seeing how Houston challenged Kansas City, it feels like the Bills can close that gap and push the Chiefs past their limits. As for the Eagles, they would have swept Washington in the regular season if not for Jalen Hurts’ concussion early in the second game. Washington deserves a lot of credit for knocking off the Lions, but Detroit played with a hubris that Philadelphia won’t. And while the Commanders will have everyone outside of eastern Pennsylvania and trashy parts of Delaware rooting for them, it won’t feel like it inside The Linc next Sunday.
Howman: In the NFC, it’s going to be really close, but I’d put my money on the Commanders. They beat the Eagles last time they played and, before that, they led Philadelphia 10-6 going into the fourth quarter. It took a huge comeback and the Eagles still only won by one score. In the AFC, it’s the Chiefs, because c’mon on. It was always going to be the Chiefs.
RJ: The easier team to pick is clearly Philadelphia which is just the worst thing of all time. From an AFC standpoint I’m going to pick the Chiefs, but I don’t feel as confident in them as I usually do. I am trusting their air of inevitability, but I’d certainly rather see Buffalo.
Brian: I personally like the way Josh Allen and Company are playing right now over the way Patrick Mahomes and his teammates are playing, so I’m going with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC. In the NFC I think this is going to be a tough game between two division rivals who know each other very well. I’m going to give the Eagles the slight edge here due to having home field advantage, but I think the Commanders will be in it to the end.
Tom: Logically I have to take the Chiefs and (shudder) the Eagles. Kansas City just finds ways to win, and with Saquan Barkley and the rest of the offensive weapons, Philly has about as close to an unstoppable offense as you are going to find. Those are the teams I expect to make it to New Orleans, but I would much prefer a Bills-Commanders matchup. Washington is going to be big trouble for several years as long as they can keep Jayden Daniels healthy, and the Bills finally winning it all would be a bit of a feel good story.
Post a Comment