Following the second straight season of coming up short in a last-minute drive against the San Francisco 49ers, it seems Kellen Moore’s future with the Dallas Cowboys is murky.
Head coach Mike McCarthy, who will be returning as head coach next year, was reluctant to give clarity on whether the offensive coordinator would be leading the Cowboys offense next season.
“I don’t want to play this game today. It’s been a long couple of days. Kellen Moore, just like the rest of the coaches, will be evaluated,” McCarthy told media at his season-ending press conference on Thursday. “We’ll continue to work through this. We had a very difficult day yesterday. We’re in Day 2 of the coaching evaluation.”
The Cowboys offense was ranked fourth in scoring and first in red zone touchdown efficiency this past season, despite trading away one of its best weapons, Amari Cooper, and losing quarterback Dak Prescott for five games. A major issue in the Dallas offensive game, however, was their interception statistics, in which they ranked behind the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts for most interceptions in the NFL.
Moore became the Dallas offensive coordinator in 2019 after previously serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach. In his four years on the job, the offense has become one of the best in the league. In 2021, the unit finished first in both points and yards.
Despite this offensive success, the Cowboys have yet to make an NFC Championship game in the 21st century. Their kryptonite as of late has been San Francisco and many fans are desperate to see a breakthrough — meaning change is certainly a possibility.
Although it would hard to let go of Moore given the work he’s done on paper, if the front office were to go that route, there have been many names swirling around the internet to replace him. Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, and former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury have been among names mentioned.
Dallas is already in the market for several new staff members after deciding not to bring back six six assistant coaches this week.
“Yesterday was not a good day in terms of personal relationships, but it’s part of our business,” McCarthy said on Thursday. “This is part of how we move forward, but it’s tough.”
Time will tell if the Cowboys ultimately decide to move on, but if they do, expect them to land a big name given the talented offensive roster in Dallas.
