Cowboys to meet with Kellen Moore for HC opening on Friday. Is a reunion possible?
The Dallas Cowboys will virtually meet with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on Friday, a team source confirms, as Jerry Jones and the front office will officially begin the interview process to replace Mike McCarthy at the head coach position.
Moore, 36, would be the youngest head coach in the NFL, but would bring a wealth of experience from his time in Dallas as both a player (2015-2018) and a coach (2018-2022). While his time in Dallas ended abruptly after a disappointing playoff loss in Jan. 2023, his four years as coordinator saw him put together two separate No. 1 total offenses and a No. 1 scoring offense in 2021.
After departing Dallas, Moore spent one season as the offensive coordinator with the Chargers in 2023 before being hired by the Eagles for the same position in 2024. In Philadelphia, he has been partially responsible for a No. 2 rushing offense behind running back Saquon Barkley.
Does a potential reunion make sense in Dallas? Would there have to be a healing of old wounds? Let’s analyze.
What could go right?
There’s no question that Dak Prescott has a great deal of comfort with Moore. His top three season totals in passing yards per game have all come under Moore’s play-calling.
And comfort can be a good thing, especially for a veteran quarterback who could be learning his third offensive system in four years if the Cowboys decide to go in a different direction than Moore. Bringing Moore in to get Prescott back to what his coaching looked like when he was at his most consistent level of play could be a big boost to a stagnant offense from 2024.
Comfort would bode well for the Joneses as well. They know how Moore thinks, they know how he coaches, and more importantly the scouting department knows the type of player he likes. They wouldn’t be able to just hit the ground running as soon as he starts. They would be able to stride into a full-on sprint with a draft cycle and a free agency cycle on the horizon.
A potential Moore staff could also bring familiar faces back to the building. Could Doug Nussmeier come in as his offensive coordinator? Is a return for most of the 2024 assistants on the table?
Sometimes change is the best thing to move forward. In this instance, it would be keeping as much consistency as possible for your veteran quarterback that may not benefit from a given change.
What could go wrong?
Would this just be hiring Jason Garrett all over again? Or would it be retreating to the early Mike McCarthy era just without McCarthy himself?
There are valid questions if Moore is brought in.
Additionally, there were concerns about Moore’s ability to command a locker room from his initial tenure in Dallas. Has he overcome those concerns to the level of earning respect as the top voice for the whole team?
Jerry and Stephen Jones have shown that they like comfort. When a coaching spot needs to be filled, they will certainly look through the exit interview papers in the human resources department to reminisce on some guys they have liked in the past. Maybe an exaggeration, but take Mike Zimmer for example who returned as defensive coordinator in 2024 after 18 years away from the building.
This would be the ultra comfort hire. And for a team that hasn’t found any postseason success for nearly three decades, is comfort the best thing?
Pertaining to Moore as an on-field coach, concerns have existed about an overuse of short route concepts and a scattershoot of offensive gameplanning at times. Lack of consistency and philosophy from game-to-game spelled out his time in Dallas. In Philadelphia, is it easy to have the No. 2 rushing offense when you have the best running back in football and three Pro Bowl caliber offensive linemen? For sure.
If the 2024 roster is any indication, Moore would have to win more with less. He hasn’t shown he can do that going back to the 2020 season when Prescott went down with a fractured ankle and his one-year stint with the Chargers that led to that whole staff getting fired.
If a Moore hire becomes a reality, he would need to fill out his staff with loud, respected voices, and he would need a running mate at offensive cooridnator that could work with him and Prescott on constructing the 2025 version of the Cowboys offense.
There’s a reality where Moore gets the chance to do it his way without McCarthy in the building and it finds success. In 2021 and 2022, great opportunities to succeed in the postseason were put in front of them largely due to offensive success. But can Moore get this team over the hump? That will have to be the questioned answered by the Joneses on Friday in the interview.
