Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer watches pregame warmups against the Los Angeles Chargers. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer Disrespected in Latest NFL Rankings

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Apr 9, 2026 9:53 AM ET

Brian Schottenheimer was a shocking selection as the Dallas Cowboys head coach in 2025.

While other teams were trying to lure big-name coordinators like Ben Johnson to their staff, the Cowboys were content with promoting their offensive coordinator, who didn’t even call plays.

Once he was in the job, however, Schottenheimer began winning people over. His positive energy was a plus, and his offensive play calling was impressive enough to win seven games despite their atrocious defense.

One person who remains unimpressed, however, is NBC Sports’ Patrick Daugherty. In his annual NFL head coach ranking, he ranked the 22 returning coaches, leaving out the 10 new hires, and has Schottenheimer at No. 21. Only Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets ranked lower than Coach Schotty.

That disrespectful ranking is only the start, as Daugherty says the only reason Schottenheimer “exceeded expectations” is because there were none.

“The Dallas sky did not fall during Brian Schottenheimer’s first year on the job. It did not brighten, either. If the initial reaction of ‘why didn’t they just let a fan coach the team’ was a little over the top for an assistant with 25 years of NFL experience, it was still directionally accurate,” Daugherty wrote.

“Schottenheimer exceeded expectations only because there weren’t any. A team that used to dream of Super Bowls now seems content to break parking and concessions records.”

Low ranking seems to be aimed at the Dallas Cowboys as a whole

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Daugherty continued to unload on the Cowboys, saying the attitude around them leads to a celebration of small wins.

“Small wins are enough. The 2025 squad might have gone 7-9-1, but Dak Prescott stayed healthy. They won the George Pickens trade. And yes, last but not least, they didn’t hire the very worst coach in football. Congratulations. To whom, we aren’t exactly sure,” he writes.

His take is a perfect example of why the Dallas job isn’t as desirable as Jerry Jones has always claimed. While there’s a lot of attention, most of it is negative. The coach unfairly takes the hit, since it’s Jones who created the “soap opera” around the team.

Entering his second season in the job, Schottenheimer clearly still has plenty of doubters to prove wrong. He has a chance to do this, assuming the defense improves under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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