https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js
When it comes to coaching searches, the Dallas Cowboys are in a class all their own. That is meant as both a compliment and an insult. The Cowboys have the distinction of being the only team in the NFL with a singular entity serving as the owner, president and general manager.
With three of the owner’s offspring positioned under him in various positions of the franchise, it’s safe to say it’s an extremely unique dynamic in Dallas. So, when the Cowboys set out to hire the most high-profile organizational leader of the team, the head coach, they need to know that person can survive in that extra-special environment they’ve created.
People want to know why premium coaching candidates like Joe Brady and Ben Johnson don’t get pushed to the front of Dallas’ interview list. As inexperienced head coaches with no ties to the Cowboys, they are simply too wild cardy for the Cowboys to risk hiring.
It’s why the Cowboys hone in on guys like Kellen Moore, Aaron Glenn, Deion Sanders and Jason Witten. Those former players understand the environment in Dallas. In fact, Moore understands it as a player, as a position coach, and as a coordinator. Is it a coincidence he’s the current frontrunner?
Familiarity means something because the hierarchy, culture and work dynamic are incomparable in Dallas. Adding to the Cowboys’ uniqueness is the amount of media exposure America’s Team commands. Short of a contending Giants team, a Tom Brady-led Patriots squad or a dominant 49ers team, no other franchise comes close to media pressure the Cowboys face on a daily basis. Ownership doesn’t just allow it, ownership invites it. In lean times, ownership begs for it.
Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier are two coaches who the Cowboys have kicked the tires on this offseason, but lack the requisite ties. They differ from the others listed above because they have head coaching experience to go with their years and years of coordinator experience.
They are known entities to the Cowboys, so they are less of a gamble than those high-profile candidates who lack skins on the wall. The Cowboys most recent coach, Mike McCarthy, falls into this category. Jason Garrett falls into the homegrown category.
Things currently point to the former category as the Cowboys’ top focus this cycle. That could change, but as of today, it’s where the Cowboys appear to be targeting.
It’s understandable that many NFL fans are wondering why the Cowboys aren’t interested in the top coaching candidates this cycle. It’s an honest inquiry but one easily explainable by the Cowboys’ unique leadership structure and high-profile work environment.