Stephen Jones lays out how Cowboys offense will change with Mike McCarthy calling plays

The Dallas Cowboys take a revamped offensive staff into the 2023 season with Mike McCarthy more in charge than ever. At the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week, Stephen Jones laid out the “compelling argument” McCarthy made for taking over play-calling duties.

“Obviously he’s the head coach of this football team and he made a compelling argument that making him the play caller was going to help us,” Jones told ESPN’s Todd Archer. “I mean that’s part of the coaching, be one click better. He feels good about it. He’s had a lot of success as a play-caller. And he’s observed for three years.

“I think he’s been a super leader in that aspect in terms of having the respect for Kellen and the offensive group working with Dak, that that was the better way of doing it. I think he believes now, although they believe in a lot of things the same, there’s that 15-20% that they don’t. And I think that Mike just thinks that they’ll do more with the way he wants to do it. That we’ll be a better offensive football team.”

To keep some consistency and familiarity going on offense, McCarthy promoted former Jaguars coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to OC after he served as a consultant on staff in 2022. Jones believes fans will see the impact of the new coaching combo. Where the difference really needs to show is in the postseason, however.

“I just think it’s some of it’s the fundamentals. How you block it, how you coordinate and marry the run game to the pass game, what your pass game is philosophically, what your run game is philosophically,” Jones said. “I think people will notice. Now, we’ve been a good offensive football team. That’s the scary part. But we just hadn’t been able to make the plays when it got right down to it in the playoffs.”

CeeDee Lamb is ‘ready’ for new Cowboys offense

Dallas’ star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb says he is ‘ready’ for the new offense. During a recent interview on ESPN Sportscenter, the Cowboys offensive star shared his thoughts on McCarthy taking the reins.

“I’m ready to go get it, regardless of who’s calling the plays,” Lamb said. “Me and my guys in the receiver room, we’re going to do our end on the outside on the perimeter and that’s to get this offense moving the ball and scoring touchdowns.”

After Jerry Jones confirmed that McCarthy would take over for 2023, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark laid out why the move is a “last opportunity.”

“I think it is the right move,” Clark said. “When you look at this team, this is a move that tells Mike McCarthy: ‘This is your last move. This is your last opportunity to get this right.’ When you look at this team failing in the postseason in the last two seasons and failing offensively, you say, okay, the quarterback’s not going to change… but that means you have to do something at the offensive coordinator position.”