Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer are scheduled to meet this week, with the longtime assistant viewed as a legitimate candidate to replace Mike McCarthy as head coach in Dallas.
Schottenheimer, 51, has never been a head coach at any level. The son of the late Marty Schottenheimer, Brian Schottenheimer served as an assistant under McCarthy the past three seasons. He joined the Cowboys as an analyst in 2022 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2023 when Kellen Moore was fired.
Moore, who joined the Los Angeles Chargers for one season and is currently offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, is also a candidate in Dallas. He interviewed virtually with Jones last week. Former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh also interviewed last week.
Dallas reportedly is scheduled to interview former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera and completed an interview Monday with Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier.
The Cowboys have favored offensive coaches under Jones, who hired McCarthy in 2020 to replace Jason Garrett. Garrett was head coach in Dallas from 2010-19. He took over for Wade Phillips, who spent most of four seasons as coach and followed Bill Parcells.
Brian Schottenheimer has been an NFL assistant for more than 25 years. He did not hold play-calling responsibilities with the Cowboys under McCarthy.
McCarthy broke into the NFL in 1993 as a quality control coach with the Kansas City Chiefs, working for Marty Schottenheimer. In 1998, Brian Schottenheimer became an offensive assistant on the same coaching staff.
