Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer says ‘no jobs are being given out’ heading into 2025
Speaking at his media availability at the NFL League Meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday, April 1, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer offered his first public comments on the start to free agency that the Cowboys had last month and updated where the team is heading into the draft.
Even though he still has moments where he sits back and takes in the reality of his newly appointed position, Schottenheimer has been hard at work since taking over in building a roster and an offensive system that will be ready to compete in 2025.
“It still comes and goes,” Schottenheimer said. “There is so much work to be done that you really don’t have a whole lot of time to think about it. It’s more when you stop...To sit in this chair with this incredible organization with this much of a history, it’s something I don’t take for granted at all and am excited about and look forward to, not just the challenge of it, but building it with our coaches and our players.”
Here are the highlights from his media availability in South Florida:
Cowboys expect Micah Parsons to be present in offseason
Despite being in the middle of a contract extension negotiation with the team, star defensive end Micah Parsons has communicated to the team that he plans to attend all offseason activities and he will not hold out while he awaits his deal.
“I feel very comfortable that Micah, he said he’s going to be around,” Schottenheimer said. “I think that’s where he wants to be. I think we’re all very comfortable with that. At the end of the day, he’s a great player and he’s just getting started to be honest with you. I have no question in my mind that he’ll be around.”
With an opportunity to step into a leadership role ahead of him, Parsons is looking forward to taking advantage of it this offseason, contract or not.
“Micah is excited about the opportunity to step up in a leadership role, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t,” Schottenheimer said. “I think the more you’re around, the more you have a chance to influence the guys. And not just the guys that are back, but there’s a bunch of new faces. We’ve added the free agency group. We’re going to add some guys in the draft. So that’s part of the puzzle, but I know he’s excited about that. I think that’s one of the reasons why he will be around.”
Few, if any, jobs are safe
If anything was made clear during Schottenheimer’s availability, he said that competition for every position group is coming.
“If we’re not creating competition, then I’m not doing my job, and the players need to understand that,” Schottenheimer said. “There’s no jobs being given out...You can’t sit there and say ‘Hey, our theme of this program is compete every day.’ And then you’re like, ‘Okay you’re this, you’re that, you’re this.’ So, it’s our job to figure that out.
Specifically, Schottenheimer is looking at the offensive and defensive lines as areas where competition will be rampant heading into the season. After a 2024 season where injuries affected both groups tremendously, each spot on the depth chart will be crucial.
“It’s really about creating competition, starting on the fronts,” he said. “The game is played in the trenches. It really is. It doesn’t matter if that’s the first play or the last play. It’s always played up there at some point, whether it’s trying to stop the run or having to hold up in pass protection when you’re playing in a two-minute drive.”
“Addressing the front seven on both sides of the ball is something we wanted to do. Again, one of the mantras of our program is going to be, ‘you’ve got to own the line of scrimmage.’”
Potential joint practice with Rams
During the league meetings, conversations about scheduling preseason games and joint practices ramp up within the league, and Schottenheimer has his eye on a familiar team to line up against in Oxnard in August.
“We’re looking through the preseason schedule,” he said. “Obviously, the Rams are close by again, but you got to get the preseason stuff organized. But I do think there’s a lot of value in that.”
The two teams had multiple joint practices last preseason in Oxnard without any extra-curricular fights or things of the sort. With a pre-existing strong relationship between Schottenheimer and Rams head coach Sean McVay paired with the close proximity of the two practice facilities, the Rams are the most likely option.
“The players like it, number one...Really, the biggest benefit of it is you try to find teams that are different than the scheme that you have. And so like, for example, while the Rams make sense, it’s because of the fact their defense is going to look different than our defense. And so you get value in that. But again, once we finalize everything in the preseason, it’ll all come into play.”
Cowboys confident heading into NFL Draft
The NFL Draft is less than a month away, and the Cowboys are currently slated to select No. 12 overall in the first round. After a free agency period that saw the team add depth on both sides of the ball, Schottenheimer feels confident heading into draft weekend.
“I feel like we go into this draft with a lot of confidence,” he said. “We’re not done in free agency. We’re always looking to acquire, we’re always looking to compete on the personnel side of it. But I do feel like we’ve set ourselves up going into the draft where [when] we’re sitting in a certain spot, that’s the best player available, let’s go take him.”
For the No. 12 pick specifically, Schottenheimer is hoping to get an impact player.
“You’re always looking for game changers when you’re picking 12th,” he said. “You’re looking for guys that influence the game. You rush the quarterback and you get sacks, strip sacks, fumbles, whatever it is. You score touchdowns...You build it from the outside in, so you got corners, receivers, they get isolated one-on-one. Pass rushers, tackles, they get isolated one-on-one, and then obviously the quarterback position. But usually, that’s the way I’ve looked at it. Is when you’re building a roster, kind of think of it from building it from outside in, based on guys that get isolated a lot. Because when you’re isolated and you can’t help, it’s it’s pretty daunting task sometimes.”
