Dallas Cowboys

Futures of Dallas' Mike McCarthy, Kellen Moore, Dan Quinn in limbo

Published Jan. 18, 2022 3:18 p.m. ET

The Dallas Cowboys' coaching carousel is swiftly making its rounds as the team's offseason gets underway.

And a few coaches currently onboard could be exiting at a destination other than Dallas before it comes to a stop.

The team's offensive coordinator (Kellen Moore), defensive coordinator (Dan Quinn), and head coach (Mike McCarthy) have all been mentioned in the circulatory rumor mill just days after the team made a disappointing first-round exit in the NFL's wild-card round.

And while discussions surrounding coaching changes following a failure to meet expectations are not an uncommon happenstance in the NFL, there is real weight behind the speculations surrounding each man's job.

In Moore's case, he's among the most highly sought-after minds in the coaching ranks.

After taking over Dallas' offensive brigade in January 2019, Moore and Dak Prescott joined forces to spearhead one of the most prolific scoring attacks in the league during their time together. The team's scoring offense was ranked first in the NFL in 2021, with an average of 31.2 points per game.

Moore has already conducted interviews with both the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings have also requested to speak with him.

On the defensive side of things, Dan Quinn's hand in turning Dallas from a bottom-five unit in 2020 to a top-10 one this past season has suitors champing at the bit to bestow upon him another head coaching opportunity.

Quinn has a slew of interviews lined on his own cross-country job tour, including Denver, Minnesota, Miami and Chicago.

But the spotlight is focused most intensely on the man who led both Moore and Quinn this season, as well as the rest of Dallas' coaching staff – Mike McCarthy.

The Cowboys' loss to the 49ers was undoubtedly the biggest upset of wild-card weekend. In fact the ‘Boys were the only home team to drop their first playoff contest, and though Prescott and the game officials have retained their share of the blame, McCarthy remains one of the loss’s biggest scapegoats.

An NFL-record 14 penalties (tied with three other teams) were administered to Dallas throughout the game, and poor clock management plagued the Cowboys in some of their biggest spots.

Those two facets have represented an Achilles heel for Dallas all season long. It received the most penalty flags of any team this year, while its penalty yards (1,103) were second-most across the league.

That lack of discipline has in large part been attributed to McCarthy, and has a host of fans and analysts alike calling for his job.

Skip Bayless is one of them.

"The Cowboys will almost certainly be doomed next year again if Mike McCarthy is back," Bayless said Tuesday on "Undisputed."

"I thought Mike McCarthy was a made man. He's got a Super Bowl ring from long ago in a galaxy far away, and it was thanks mostly to Aaron Rodgers. Do I think there's any way that Jerry Jones will fire him? I'm going to give it a 25% chance because of what Jerry said after the game. That was the most rational, objective post-game comments I've ever heard from him. When asked, ‘When was the last time you were this disappointed?’ He said, ‘I can’t remember.'"

‘Mike McCarthy has to go’

Skip Bayless discusses why the Cowboys should make a coaching change.

Bayless' disappointment with his team might extend into next season, especially given Stephen Jones' recent comments regarding McCarthy's job status.

Jones' response to an inquiry of whether he expects McCarthy to be in town next year was short and simple: "Absolutely. Very confident."

And Chris Broussard on "First Things First" was of the opinion that McCarthy indeed deserves another shot next season.

"I would give him one more year," Broussard said.

"They went 12-5 — their best record in five years — and [McCarthy] does it in his second. Jason Garrett won 12 games like twice in a decade. They had the No. 1-ranked offense in the NFL with Dak battling a calf injury, with Ezekiel Elliott playing on a bum knee, and the offensive line had nagging injuries. The defense went from one of the worst in recent memory, to a top-10 scoring defense in the NFL. If things don't get better next year, then maybe go in a new direction."

But in the eyes of Nick Wright, the right call is finding a new head coach.

"Jerry: Watch the game of the week, the final divisional round playoff game between the Bills and the Chiefs, and then interview one of those two offensive coordinators, and hire the one you like more," Wright suggested.