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Cowboys’ recent success bred coaches, not championships

Originally posted on Inside The Star
By Mario Herrera Jr. | Last updated Jan 25, 2026 10:22 AM ET

Life as a Dallas Cowboys fan is difficult.

Unless you are one, you wouldn’t know. We suffer through a 30-year long disease of mediocrity.

There is just enough excitement and success to keep us hooked, but not enough success to satisfy or keep opposing fan bases from poking fun at our team’s failures.

The Brian Schottenheimer era kicked off in 2025, and although it didn’t end how we would have wanted to, the future looks bright.

Dallas took an unorthodox (for them) approach to fill the offensive coordinator position, and it paid off well.

Usually known to hire ex-head coaches as coordinators, the Cowboys instead hired Arizona Cardinals OL Coach Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator, and the results were more than pleasant.

Just two days ago, the Cowboys appear to have copied last season’s strategy, this time hoping for defensive success.

The Cowboys hired Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator to replace the much-maligned Matt Eberflus.

Coaches come and go, but in recent years, the Cowboys have had coordinators leave for other teams as experience success.

In fact, at one point in the past few years, the Cowboys had four members on the coaching staff who are head coaches today.

It may not have led to championships, but it bred an admirable coaching tree.

An Impressive Staff

After Jason Garrett was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys following a disappointing 2019 season, he was replaced by Super Bowl-winning coach Mike McCarthy.

Jokes about playoff collapses aside, McCarthy was a solid head coach who took the Cowboys to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1990’s dynasty under Jimmy Johnson.

At least four coaches from his tenure will be head coaches in the NFL once the 2026 season kicks off.

Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh Steelers

I bet you didn’t think I’d throw this curveball at you, but Mike McCarthy himself is one of the coaches from that tenure who will be a head coach in 2026.

You might not think he’s someone worth mentioning, but he was completely out of the NFL in 2025.

Just yesterday, the Rooney family made Mike McCarthy just the fourth head coach in franchise history.

He joins Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin on that short list.

McCarthy now has the distinct pleasure of listing the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and Pittsburgh Steelers on his resume, perhaps the three most iconic franchises in the NFL.

That’s pretty impressive if you ask me.

Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys

Surprise again. Well, not really. Schottenheimer’s ascension from offensive assistant, then offensive coordinator, then head coach should be noted.

Schottenheimer led the Cowboys to a 7-9-1 record, but his offense was one of the best in the league, at one point averaging over 30 points per game.

It was the defense that failed Schottenheimer, but I don’t think too much of that blame should be on him.

As much as I praised the Jones’ for having faith in Schottenheimer to choose his own offensive coordinator last season, hiring Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator felt like a stipulation.

That didn’t pan out well, but the future is bright in the near future.

Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders

The last time Cowboys fans felt good about the defense, Dan Quinn was at the helm.

He may have left a very bad taste in our mouths after the 48-32 thrashing at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, but his time in Dallas was a success.

His defense brought more turnovers and splash plays than we had seen in many years.