The Cowboys presumed new OC makes Ashton Jeanty pick even more obvious

The Dallas Cowboys are slated to pick 12th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft after their season from hell. It has been a rough couple of years in the Texas heartland, with Jerry Jones doing everything in his power to command the spotlight while simultaneously undermining his own product.

We can chalk up many 2024 failures to the unfortunate Dak Prescott injury, but that would too easily let Jones off the hook. He completely failed on the margins, waxing poetic about the so-called challenges of signing Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to massive contracts, while ignoring the plentiful cap space at the Cowboys disposal.

Perhaps the most egregious example of Jones' self-inflicted wounds was the signing of Ezekiel Elliott to replace the outgoing Tony Pollard at running back. In an offseason where Saquon Barkley, Aaron Jones, Josh Jacobs and Joe Mixon all changed teams, the Cowboys went with the ultimate retread — a complete kowtow to sentiment and familiarity, not to mention a move rooted almost entirely in a desire to limit costs.

Now a new season approaches. The Cowboys will have a new coach, a new offensive coordinator, and in all likelihood, a new running back. The most obvious option is projected first-round pick Ashton Jeanty, who parlayed a dominant season at Boise State into a second-place finish in Heisman voting.

It sure seems like Dallas is setting the table for Jeanty's arrival.

Cowboys' next OC could have a direct connection to Ashton Jeanty

Dallas needs to shake things up, so naturally, Jones replaced the outgoing Mike McCarthy with Brian Schottenheimer, his offensive coordinator. A career-long assistant who has never picked up much steam in past hiring cycles, Schottenheimer was an unexpected choice for Dallas. It reads as a blatant attempt from Jones to keep the spotlight squarely on himself. Schottenheimer does not have the clout to make demands of the front office or to wield much power organizationally.

It also means we can expect more of the same from the Cowboys' offense next season, which is troubling. That said, Dallas has a history of dominating with the run game, and drafting Jeanty with the 12th pick could get the Cowboys back on the right track. Most would advise against drafting a running back in the first round, but Jeanty is special. Also, with Saquon Barkley one game away from a potential Super Bowl MVP, it feels like a lot of teams will over-invest in the RB position this offseason.

Schottenheimer's expected offensive coordinator hire could pave the way for Jeanty's arrival in Dallas. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Cowboys are interviewing Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams in person after a previous virtual meeting. He is the heavy favorite to land Schottenheimer's OC role.

Not only does hiring an O-line coach sound like a nice boon for an incoming running back, but Adams is a Boise State alum. So is Jeanty. It feels like a match made it heaven, and it could help the Cowboys strike the right offensive balance after the 2024 campaign was spent relying almost entirely on a misbegotten passing attack.

Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior. He was matchup-proof, slipping through the tiniest of gaps and showcasing the sort of open-field explosiveness that very few in the NFL, much less in college, can match. The Cowboys would be lucky to have him.