Brian Schottenheimer names the Cowboys coach most fans don’t even know is helping them win

Any talk about coaching seems to fall into two buckets for the 2025 Dallas Cowboys: 1) Brian Schottenheimer is having a pretty good start to his head coaching career, and 2) Matt Eberflus needs to get things together on the defensive side of things.

But there's much more to the Cowboys coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams has revitalized the franchise's run game. Offensive line coach Conor Riley has helped have backups ready to go early in the season. And on Sunday, following a 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders, Schottenheimer told reporters about a Cowboys coach that's helping Dallas win, despite being unknown by most of the fanbase.

"I’m going to tell you guys again, and maybe you have, maybe you haven’t, but you need to talk to Ryan Feder," Schottenheimer told reporters postgame.

Who is Ryan Feder and how is he winning the Cowboys win games?

Feder is the Cowboys' game management coordinator and he's helped Dallas achieve a crucial mark: Four times this season the Cowboys offense has scored points in the final drive of the first half with less than a minute left to go on the clock. On Sunday, Dak Prescott was sacked at Dallas' 21-yard line with 31 seconds left on the clock. Three plays later, the Cowboys scored a touchdown anyways to make it 27-15 at halftime.

According to Schottenheimer, that has a lot to do with Feder's work.

"The guy is an incredible football coach," Schottenheimer added. "He's our game management guy. He just makes me at peace. He makes me comfortable. He's great with his communication of what we're thinking. We practice it every day. He changes up the looks. We literally practiced that look on Thursday — the touchdown to (Jake Ferguson). It was a different call in practice, but it was that exact look where you've got 13 seconds or whatever it is, and you want to 'get all your shots,' is what we say — 'get all your shots.' So, what that means is if [reads] one and two, he's not going to get past the third progression—which is what Fergie does—because you want to throw the ball away so you get all your shots. But I got to give Ryan Feder a ton of credit."

Feder has experience coaching both sides of the ball for the Cowboys. He arrived at Dallas in 2020 as a quality control/analyst and worked primarily on defense before moving to offense in 2023 helping quarterbacks.

According to his official profile on the Cowboys' website: "Feder (plays) a key role on Brian Schottenheimer's inaugural staff in 2025 as game management coordinator, continuing to his work in helping to prepare game plans and assist in the development of the quarterbacks. Feder's responsibilities also include devising a plan for specific game management decisions."

Of course, none of Feder's work would matter if it wasn't for execution. On Sunday's final drive of the first half, Dak Prescott threw a dime to George Pickens for 44 yards. When it seemed the Cowboys would settle for a field goal attempt, Javonte Williams broke free for a 33-yard gain that led to a two-yard touchdown catch from Jake Ferguson.

"Our guys are prepared," Schottenheimer added. "Because you practice it so much and emphasize it, they're just very comfortable executing those calls."

So next time you're talking Cowboys coaches, don't forget to Ryan Feder's work has helped the team get points right before halftime. Any NFL coach would tell you that's where games are won or lost. For Dallas, it's looking like a key to their three wins this year.

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