What changes can be expected from new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer? Here’s what he had to say
With the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer, the Dallas Cowboys chose to retain one of their own instead of embark on an overhaul of philosophy in culture. But with the offensive coordinator from the previous staff just in an elevated role, how much change be expected?
Schottenheimer addressed that and much more during Monday’s press conference introducing him as the 10th head coach in franchise history.
Owner Jerry Jones said that a change was necessary, but how different Schottenheimer’s team will look versus what former coach Mike McCarthy had in place for five years might be tough to see with the naked eye.
First and foremost, Schottenheimer emphasized on multiple occasions that he is a culture builder. Speaking to the handful of players in attendance supporting his hiring, he put out an expectation of what he expects from his 53-man roster.
“The type of people we are looking for are modeled by a lot of the men in the back.,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re looking for world-class competitors, guys that want to compete every day to be the best versions of themselves. We are looking for people with relentless work ethic. I was taught by my father at a young age that you can outwork people in this business.”
“The type of people we want are people that love this game. If you’re not passionate about the game of football and the shield and what it represents, then you’re probably in the wrong line of business.”
While he strayed from discrediting the job that McCarthy did in Dallas, he continued to emphasize his relationship-first culture preference and how it will trickle down into the game itself.
“Mike’s one of my best friends,” he said. “When you talk about what Mike has done with this football team over the last five years, there has been incredible amounts of success. One of my greatest strengths is my ability to create relationships. Relationships that are built on trust, respect, connection. I’m really good with X’s and O’s, but I’m great with people. The type of men that we have in this locker room are excited about that.”
“I think as we build this thing out, the culture of this team, that’s where I feel like my greatest impact will be felt.”
On what to expect from the newest leader of the offense, as Jerry Jones confirmed on Monday that Schottenheimer will be calling the offensive plays, he is looking forward to enacting offensive philosophies that he previously had to “bite his lip” about, according to Jerry Jones. That full autonomy has the players and front office excited about his potential.
“I’m a believer in cut splits, shifts and motions to distort things,” Schottenheimer said. “Marrying our runs and passes and make those things look the same. There’s also a tempo element we’re excited to mix in, something the players suggested to add in.”
According to Jones, Schottenheimer’s offensive mind has a complete perspective from his time learning under his father, Marty, and his 25 years in the NFL as an assistant.
“As these offensive philosophies evolve, Schotty has a good feel of not only where they are today, where they’re gonna go and certainly where it has been,” Jones said. “That’s rare to come in here with this kind of energy to go and show them. There will be change, but we will use some of the things we have in place now.”
Offensive change will certainly include the quarterback, Dak Prescott, having his say on how things look in 2025. Heading into his 10th season in the NFL, Prescott still has the belief of the front office in his ability to grow and get better under a new system. Most importantly, he has that same belief from his head coach.
“There will be tweaks, there will be changes,” Schottenheimer said. “Dak is the type of worker that changes an entire organization. We see the game of football offensively very similar, and we’ll have tons of communication about things we want to do, whether it’s tempo or some of the different things that we’re trying to do with our play-action game, our run game, things like that.”
In all, the remnants of what McCarthy left will be seen. But as Schottenheimer looks to build his own identity on the field and in the locker room as the newly appointed leader, he will take on the challenge of having the changes he enact result in postseason success.
“Mike McCarthy left some good stuff here,” Jones said. “One of them is Brian.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 11:00 PM.
