Cowboys hire Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator

When the Cowboys decided to mutually part ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, word quickly broke that head coach Mike McCarthy would be calling the plays moving forward. Still, the Cowboys would need to hire a new coordinator, someone to assist McCarthy in managing the offense on a daily basis.

After taking some time to interview several candidates, the Cowboys have opted to make Brian Schottenheimer their new offensive coordinator. Schottenheimer spent the 2022 season with the Cowboys as a coaching consultant.

Schottenheimer has been around the coaching ranks for quite some time, beginning his career in 1997 with the Rams. He bounced around several stops as an assistant, eventually getting his first coordinator gig with the Jets in 2006. He ultimately spent six seasons there, serving under two different head coaches in Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan, and even coached Brett Favre for a year after he left McCarthy’s Packers teams. Schottenheimer’s Jets also made back to back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2009 and 2010, but he parted ways with the team after a disappointing 2011 season.

Schottenheimer then spent three seasons running the offense for the Jeff Fisher-led Rams, who also employed John Fassel as their special teams coordinator at the time. Schottenheimer later left the Rams for a one-year stint as the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Perhaps Schottenheimer’s most prominent stop was as the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks from 2018 to 2020, where he and Russell Wilson produced some impressive, if not volatile, offenses. Statistically speaking, Schottenheimer’s time with Wilson were some of his best years. Schottenheimer was also the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the Jaguars in their one ill-fated season under Urban Meyer, which led him to Dallas.

He is also the son of legendary head coach Marty Schottenheimer, who is one of just 13 head coaches to ever win at least 200 games. The elder Schottenheimer served as the head coach for four different teams: the Browns, Chiefs, Commanders, and Chargers. While with the Chiefs, he gave McCarthy his first NFL job.

Schottenheimer has been known throughout his career for his commitment to the running game, often running a variation of the Air Coryell offense that features a heavy rushing attack with a vertical offense. With McCarthy - a devout West Coast disciple - calling the plays, it will be interesting to see what the offense looks like from a schematic standpoint.

While Schottenheimer won’t call plays for the Cowboys as coordinator, he will still have several important responsibilities. As the head coach, McCarthy has other duties he has to handle in a given day or week, so Schottenheimer will be a prominent part of installing the new offensive scheme this offseason alongside McCarthy. During the regular season, Schottenheimer will also be responsible for leading the offense in practices throughout the week, and can act as an important sounding board for McCarthy on game days.

The Cowboys also interviewed former Panthers assistant head coach/running backs coach Jeff Nixon, Rams assistant head coach/tight ends coach Thomas Brown, and Vikings tight end coach Brian Angelichio for the position that Schottenheimer will now fill.