Dallas Cowboys coaching search: Adam Schefter drops two early names to watch

The Dallas Cowboys are moving on from head coach NFL Mike McCarthy, and Adam Schefter revealed two names to watch in the coaching search. On Monday Night Countdown, the ESPN NFL insider said Kellen Moore and Jason Witten could be in the running to be the next Cowboys head coach.

“They can and will conduct a search here to try to find the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys,” Schefter said. “Obviously, it’s just new, it’s just beginning, we’ll see where that brings them. A lot of names floating around out there.

“I think at some point in time, they could have some level of interest in the Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, potentially maybe Jason Witten, an all-time franchise great. But it’s very early on, very preliminary, and we’ll see where Jerry Jones goes with this search. But the Cowboys are now in the market for a new head coach.”

The Cowboys are familiar with Moore and Witten as both have played and/or coached for the team previously. Moore was the Cowboys backup quarterback from 2015 to 2017 before joining the coaching staff in 2018 as the quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019 and held that position until the end of the 2022 season. Moore was the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 before joining the Eagles this season. The Cowboys can’t interview Moore now as the Eagles are currently in the playoffs.

Will Kellen Moore or Jason Witten be the Cowboys’ next head coach?

Witten was a Cowboys tight end from 2003 to 2017. He returned to Dallas in 2019 and finished his playing career with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. As a tight end for the Cowboys, Witten was named to the Pro Bowl 11 times and named to the All-Pro Team four times. Since 2021, Witten has been the head coach at Liberty Christian School in Texas and has led the team to back-to-back state championships.

Whoever is the next Cowboys head coach will look to have more success than Mike McCarthy. During his five seasons in Dallas (2020-2024), McCarthy posted a 49-35 record and won two NFC East championships.

The Cowboys are looking for their 10th head coach in franchise history. Of the nine head coaches who worked in Dallas, only one did not appear in the playoffs, and that’s Dave Campo who was there from 2000 to 2002.