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Kellen Moore is coming back to Dallas, at least virtually… for a job interview.
The Cowboys’ former backup quarterback, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator is officially on the list of candidates for the team’s head coach opening. Moore has been casually linked to the opportunity all week long, but the Cowboys now have made an official request to explore a future with the 36-year-old, per NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Moore is currently the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia and is prepping the Eagles to face the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFC postseason on Sunday.
ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys and Moore will speak virtually on Friday, and that the interview will last no longer than three hours, per league rules.
But Moore’s long history with the Cowboys organization and familiarity with quarterback Dak Prescott ensure they’ll be able to dispense with the awkward getting-to-know-you part of their conversation.
“I mean, obviously I spent a lot of time there. Eight years there and so, obviously have plenty of relationships [in] that place,” Moore told reporters Tuesday, per the Dallas Morning News.
The #Cowboys have officially requested to interview #Eagles OC Kellen Moore for their HC job, per me and @MikeGarafolo. One of the top candidates.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2025
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Moore’s comments came just one day after the Cowboys announced they would not be re-signing Mike McCarthy after a five-year stint with the club. Moore had already been on staff as the OC for a year when McCarthy came to Dallas. The two worked together in an arranged marriage of sorts for three more seasons, until McCarthy insisted on calling his own offensive plays. Moore took the Chargers’ OC job in 2023 and then landed in the same role for the Eagles for 2024.
“I love it here,” Moore went on to say of Philadelphia. “I’ve had so much fun here. It’s been a really fun process and we’re in a really special situation right now, getting the chance to play this Sunday. Have a chance to make a run at this thing and that’s really all you worry about. Everything else is what it is and we’ll see where it takes you.”
It could take him right back to Dallas, where it was once thought he was being groomed by Jones specifically for the head coach’s office.
The Cowboys offense mostly soared under Moore. In 2019, his first year in the OC role, the team finished first leaguewide in yards per play and yards per game. In 2021, upon Prescott’s return from a gruesome ankle injury, the offense was tops in the NFL in both points per game and yards per game. In 2022, they were the best red-zone offense in football.
This season under Moore, the Eagles offense ranks in the top ten in points per game, yards per game, third-down conversion rate, and fourth-down conversion rate.
Moore has already been tabbed to talk with the Saints and Jaguars about their current head coach openings. Those interviews will also happen virtually and prior to Philadelphia’s game on Sunday.