5 candidates to replace Jason Garrett as Cowboys head coach

3. Kris Richard, Cowboys defensive backs coach

If Garrett is/was going to fired in-season, Richard is an easy candidate to take over as the interim guy for however long is left in the Cowboys’ run this year. As it is Richard should be a candidate replace Garrett, and he’s surely the top internal candidate if Jones moves in that direction.

Richard, Dallas’ defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator as well as former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator (2015-2017), interviewed for head coaching openings with the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets after the Cowboys’ playoff victory last year. It seems to be only a matter of time before he’s a head coach for the first time, even with the general league-wide tilt toward hiring offensive minds. If the Cowboys somehow miss the playoffs, he’ll be free to interview for any openings right off the bat with no restrictions on his time or availability.

If Jones wants someone who’s unproven as a head coach, with the idea said coach won’t ruffle feathers or push to do more than coach the team that’s assembled for him, Richard looks like an ideal candidate. An interview for the promotion to head coach, however token it may look when it’s all said and one, has to be coming at minimum.