Cowboys new coaching staff is almost complete; which hire will be most important?

The Dallas Cowboys have just about finished up their 2018 coaching staff. The most recent moves were the addition of tight ends coach Doug Nussmeier and an assistant for the special teams in Doug Colman. That completes a flurry of assistant coach changes for the Cowboys since the end of the 2017 season. The Cowboys plan was a mixture of change and stability. They held on to their top three guys in head coach Jason Garrett, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. But beneath them was massive turnover. That is where the change, and hopefully new ideas, will come from.

To get a look at the change, Jon Machota has a handy chart for the main positions.

Which of those change will have the most substantial impact on the upcoming season? Here are four to consider.

The Cowboys obviously were not happy with the play of the offensive line in 2017, even though overall the unit was still quality, they did not play up to their lofty standards. One has to wonder how much the debacle of Chaz Green and the inability to field a quality backup tackle played into the decision to make a change from Frank Pollack to Paul Alexander. Was Pollack just coasting on what was already in place from Bill Callahan? The Cowboys have an identity on offense, and that is an offensive line that can control a game. They didn’t see that as much in 2017.

On defense, the loss of Matt Eberflus is hopefully offset by the addition of Kris Richard. The secondary in Seattle was all the rage under Richard, can he accomplish the same trick in Dallas? He certainly has some quality pieces to work with as the Cowboys added rookie defensive backs who can ball in the 2017 draft. Richard might have a bigger role than just secondary coach, as the Cowboys have handed him the passing game coordinator role on defense, too.

The most controversial of changes in the coaching staff came when the Cowboys hired Kellen Moore to replace Wade Wilson. Some saw this as just a case of putting a Linehan disciple in place. But what if it was more, what if it was something that Dak Prescott pushed for? Prescott has gone on record saying he liked this move and has great respect for the knowledge Moore brings to the quarterback’s room. Since QB is the most important position on the field, this could prove to be a big change.

There is one other move we should keep in mind, too. That is the hiring of Sanjay Lal to replace Derek Dooley as the wide receivers coach. Just think about how much complaining has been done about the play of the Cowboys’ receivers in 2017. Maybe a new approach with a new voice can shake things up with that group.

The Cowboys aren’t quite done yet, they are still looking for help on the defensive side of the ball.

So, given what you’re seeing BTB, which coaching change will have the most substantial impact on the 2018 season, good or bad?