Coaching Overhaul Won’t Change Dallas Cowboys’ Fortunes Under Mike McCarthy And Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys have made one other change to their teaching employees.

Simply days after saying the dismissal of many key veteran assistants — together with the likes of offensive line coach Joe Philbin, line of defense coach Leon Lett, operating backs coach Skip Peete and defensive assistant George Edwards — the Cowboys are transferring on from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, as reported by NFL Community’s Tom Pelissero.

The transfer is the most important one but within the shakeup of the crew’s teaching employees from the earlier season, indicating the franchise wasn’t precisely blissful following a second consecutive loss to the San Francisco 49ers early within the playoffs.

Head coach Mike McCarthy — who beforehand revealed simply days prior that Moore was beneath “analysis” — launched a press release thanking Moore for his tenure with the crew. The 34-year-old initially joined Dallas as a quarterbacks coach in 2018 and had served because the offensive coordinator because the 2019 season.

“I wish to thank Kellen for his deep dedication, arduous work and dedication that had been a core a part of his time with the Cowboys,” McCarthy’s assertion stated. “The manufacturing of our offense and his mentorship of Dak had been on the heart of Kellen’s impression, and we’re grateful for his tenure and management.”

It’s clear that these strikes had been made with the intention of sending a message to the returning coaches and gamers — the 2022 season was not ok.

And regardless of this main teaching overhaul, there’s one huge drawback — it’s not going to vary the Cowboys’ fortunes.

Dak Prescott goes to return for an additional season because of a bloated contract that makes him close to not possible to maneuver. If the Cowboys had been to commerce Prescott previous to June 1 of the offseason — groups hardly ever make trades for quarterbacks following the draft — they might take in a lifeless cap hit of $58 million.

The statistics and historical past don’t lie — Prescott led the league in interceptions and was the most important purpose for the Cowboys’ loss to the 49ers. Secondly, regardless of beginning for seven seasons, he has but to guide the crew to a single convention championship look.

As Todd Archer of ESPN factors out, that is trigger for concern — as a result of no quarterback because the 1995 season has led a crew to an NFC Championship Sport or Tremendous Bowl for the primary time after a seven-year run as a starter with that very same crew.

“For the reason that Cowboys’ final Tremendous Bowl look in 1995, no quarterback has taken his crew to an NFC Championship Sport or Tremendous Bowl for the primary time after a seven-year run because the starter with that crew, in line with ESPN Stats & Data,” says Archer. “The final to make his first NFC title-game look in his seventh season in that state of affairs was Phil Simms in 1986, though that doesn’t embrace the 1982 season that he missed with a knee damage.”

As stable of a quarterback as Prescott is, he’s not a man that’s going to make the performs mandatory in a decent playoff sport to elevate your crew excessive. If he was that quarterback, he would have executed it by now.

As an alternative, the Cowboys will enter the 2023 season with Prescott holding the second-highest cap determine of any participant within the league — $49.13 million, solely behind the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson — hoping that he’ll lastly play just like the elite quarterback that they’re paying him to be.

Regardless of profitable a street playoff sport for the primary time because the 1992 season and clinching back-to-back playoff berths for the primary time because the 2006-07 seasons, Dallas got here up in need of advancing to a convention championship sport for the twenty seventh consecutive season.

McCarthy — who entered this season on the recent seat and with Sean Payton rumors circling the franchise — was in a position to purchase himself one other season along with his playoff win over a mediocre Tampa Bay Buccaneers crew that was fortunate simply to be within the postseason.

If the Cowboys are to proceed as at the moment constructed, they’ll completely need to advance to a spot they haven’t been because the 1995 season — the NFC Championship Sport. One other 12-win season and fast playoff exit isn’t going to fulfill Jerry Jones.

So far as Payton is worried, he’s at the moment interviewing for head teaching jobs as he seems to return to the sidelines. He’s at the moment linked to jobs such because the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans.

What’s not being introduced up sufficient is the likelihood that Payton might very properly sit out one other yr earlier than returning to the sidelines. If neither of the aforementioned groups woo him sufficient — whether or not that be cash or affect over the crew — the previous New Orleans Saints head coach might simply sit out.

Till the Cowboys head teaching job turns into open.

If Dallas falters once more in 2023, the Cowboys will transfer on from McCarthy and can begin desirous about their choices past Prescott. Meaning a complete makeover, which might embrace Payton within the combine together with a brand new franchise quarterback.

The Cowboys will return largely the identical nucleus — minus Moore and a bunch of veteran assistants — for an additional season. But it surely’s not more likely to change the outcomes of the present crew.

The clock is ticking for McCarthy and Prescott.