Insider addresses how NFL feels about Cowboys' hiring of HC Brian Schottenheimer

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones received criticism this past winter for replacing head coach Mike McCarthy with Brian Schottenheimer after spending the last two seasons as Dallas' offensive coordinator. 

For a mailbag published on Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated addressed how the rest of the league views Schottenheimer heading into his first season in his new role.

"Schottenheimer is honestly one of the most well-liked coaches in the NFL," Breer wrote. "He’s affable, a connector and 100 percent projects as a guy who could be a better head coach than he was a coordinator because of his natural leadership qualities. He’s also done good work with quarterbacks, even if his time as a play-calling coordinator mostly came years ago (2006 to ’11 with the New York Jets, ’12 to ’14 with the Rams and ’18 to ’20 with the Seahawks)."

Schottenheimer never served as a head coach at any significant level before being hired by Dallas. Additionally, the fact that stories linked the Cowboys with big names such as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Bill Belichick before the club officially parted ways with McCarthy caused some to assume Schottenheimer wasn't Jones' first choice. 

There is no indication that the Steelers considered firing Tomlin or trading his rights following the 2024 season, even though he hasn't won a playoff game since the 2016 campaign. Meanwhile, Belichick seemingly received little interest from NFL teams before he agreed to become the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels program in December 2024. 

It's believed one reason Schottenheimer earned the Dallas gig was that quarterback Dak Prescott, who became a 2023 Most Valuable Player finalist while working with the coach, wanted "continuity" and didn't want to have to learn a new offense. For a piece published on Tuesday, Jon Machota of The Athletic shared that Schottenheimer is "building a new culture with communication and fun competition" within the Cowboys this spring. 

"His personality should also help him navigate the unique power structure in Dallas, which is a big factor in the success of any head coach with the Cowboys," Breer added about Schottenheimer.

Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury, which occurred in Week 9, essentially marked the beginning of the end of McCarthy's tenure with the organization. If Prescott can stay healthy and match his performances from 2023 this coming fall, Schottenheimer could be viewed as a Coach of the Year candidate by Christmas 2025.