Dallas Cowboys news: Jerry on Schottenheimer, ground game gains, Boise connects

Since hiring Brian Schottenheimer as their next head coach, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have wasted no time filling other key coaching positions on the team. Most of the assistant spots have been filled.

For the offensive coordinator role, Dallas has tapped a resource they are very familiar with going after another former Boise State Bronco. That hire follows a new theme for Jones as he seems to be going for more under-the-radar hires than usual. That plus the new proclamation of this new offensive staff but it sounds like a message Cowboys fans have heard before.

Jerry Jones goes in entirely different direction with new coaching staff

Jerry Jones has gone in a completely different direction with his latest coaching hire than what most expected. For many years Jones went for the big splash whether it be players or coaches. While Brian Schottenheimer is a 'recognizable' name around the league, he’s still unproven as a head coach.

Next season will be the first time he’s ever called plays in the NFL although Schottenheimer has been an offensive coordinator for multiple teams. Brian’s father, Marty, was one of the better coaches in the NFL for the better part of two decades and that’s where most of the former’s recognition begins. Being the son of a great coach, maybe one of the greatest to never win a Super Bowl.

Brian has much to prove as this is a different situation than we’re used to seeing in Dallas. Even if Jones didn’t hire the guy many thought he should, that coach usually had more name recognition. Other than maybe Dave Campo in the early 2000s, Jones goes for the coach a bigger name in most cases. Whether they had major success in college, the pros or both, Schottenheimer feels like the polar opposite of all that. Maybe this is Jones showing the world that he’s learned from the mistakes of the past.

Although everyone knows Jones covets a coach who won’t push back too much. And that’s what this really feels like, another coach that won’t call Jones on his BS but will gladly go along to get along until he’s made the scapegoat in a few years. So, maybe Jones hasn’t changed that much. Only time will tell.

Cowboys getting back to basics: Running the damn ball

It feels like we’ve heard this before from the Cowboys about wanting to run the ball. Mike McCarthy promised they’d run the ball before resorting to what he knew best. Allowing Dak Prescott to drop back 40-plus times in some games and completely abandoning the running games altogether. However, under the Schottenheimer regime, we’re supposed to believe something will change.

“We want to be able to run the ball," Stephen Jones said to reporters at the Senior Bowl. "That’s what great championship football teams do (...) I think it’s real important that we find in this hire a coach that’s going to be outstanding in the run game area.” 

All they’ve got to do now is load up on running backs since that backfield is a little thin. Rico Dowdle is set to be a free agent on the heels of his first 1,000-yard rushing campaign and Ezekiel Elliott is gone for good. If the Cowboys do truly plan to get back to running the ball with impact, they’ve got to go hard and heavy at the position this spring along with retooling the offensive line. No matter how good a RB is, he needs someone to block, especially if the Cowboys want to get back to a position of prominence in the league.

Dallas goes back to the well hiring another former Bronco

The Cowboys have hired another former Bronco but from the mile-high city. No, we’re talking about Dallas’ new offensive coordinator and former Boise State Bronco, Klayton Adams. He played center for BSU then later became an assistant on the staff in the mid-00s. Adams coached on multiple college and pro staff, including OC at Colorado. Most recently Adams was the offensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals the past two seasons before signing with Dallas.

Dallas goes back to that Boise well one more time after launching the coaching career of former Bronco quarterback, Kellen Moore, in 2018. Moore worked his way up to OC from QB coach with the Cowboys before leaving following the 2022-23 season. In ’21, Dallas boasted the most explosive offense in the NFL under Moore, ranking No. 1 in total yards and points in the regular season. Surely, Jones and Schottenheimer feel Adams might be able to help regain some of that Boise magic once realized in Big D.