Report: Dallas Cowboys give Brian Schottenheimer four-year deal as head coach

On Friday, the Dallas Cowboys promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach. The organization is giving Schottenheimer a four-year deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Schottenheimer will replace Mike McCarthy, who was the Cowboys’ head coach from 2020-24. The Cowboys officially parted ways with McCarthy on Jan. 13, after he failed to lead the team to the playoffs. During McCarthy’s four years at the helm of the organization, the Cowboys posted a 49-35 record and a 1-3 mark in the postseason.

The Cowboys initially hired Schottenheimer as a consultant in 2022. However, he was promoted to offensive coordinator on Feb. 4, 2023. Now, Schottenheimer will take the final step on the staff ladder and have a chance to lead the Cowboys.

The Cowboys averaged 328.4 yards per game this past season under Schottenheimer’s guidance. While the figure still ranked in the top half of the league, the Cowboys were at a disadvantage, with key offensive players like QB Dak Prescott and wide receiver Brandin Cooks missing large chunks of the season due to injury.

A more telling representation of Schottenheimer’s success as offensive coordinator was the Cowboys’ 2023 campaign when they averaged 371.6 yards per game, the fifth-most in the NFL. Now, Schottenheimer will have a chance to build on the promising flashes he’s shown.

Matt Eberflus named as potential Cowboys DC candidate

Shortly after the Cowboys named Schottenheimer their next head coach, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler followed up with a report, claiming that former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus will be a candidate for Dallas’ defensive coordinator opening.

“Sources consider former #Bears defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus a prime candidate for the #Cowboys defensive coordinator job under new coach Brian Schottenheimer, per sources,” Fowler wrote on X. “Eberflus was a Cowboys assistant from 2011-17.”

Eberflus was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach from 2011-15 while simultaneously serving as a passing game coordinator during his final two years with the team.

In the 2017 season, Eberflus’ linebacker unit helped the Cowboys rank No. 8 in total defense (318.1 yards per game) and rushing defense (104.0 yards per game). The team also boasted the No. 11 passing defense (214.1 yards per game).

Eberflus has spent the past three seasons as the Chicago Bears’ head coach. During Eberflus’ time at the helm of the organization, the Bears posted a 14-32 record. They never reached the playoffs under Eberflus.