Internal promotion in Dallas. Following the departure of Mike McCarthy, it was his offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer who took over the vacant position of Head Coach. The franchise made the news official on its site.
Aged 51, Schottenheimer has been in the league his entire life since he began his career with the (St. Louis) Rams in 1997. He was only 23 years old at the time.
Since then, the Denver native has toured the league officiating on nine different teams, always on the offensive side. He was notably offensive coordinator five times, with the Jets, Rams, Seahawks, Jaguars and therefore Cowboys over the last two seasons. It is therefore under his offensive system that Dak Prescott finished second in the MVP vote last season. Often cited as a candidate for a Head Coach position, this will be his first experience in this position.
Was this promotion in the Cowboys' plans? Nothing is less certain because the franchise seemed confident in its ability to extend Mike McCarthy's contract. Dallas therefore perhaps found itself in a bind when the latter decided to leave the franchise. The other popular candidates (Ben Johnson, Liam Cohen, Aaron Glenn) having quickly been stormed by franchises in need, Dallas found itself interviewing less high-sounding names (Leslie Frazier, Kellen Moore) .
With this hiring, the New Orleans Saints are now the only franchise that has not found the right fit.
