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When it comes to calling plays for the 2025 season, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones knew there was only one man for the job: new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
In fact, Jones was emphatic about Schottenheimer calling his own plays next season, going so far as to say it’s one of the main reasons the new head coach was hired.
“We wanted Brian to call the plays,” Jones said during Monday’s introductory press conference, via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. “We cherish his relationship with our players. I believe, if he doesn’t call the plays, he’s probably not with the Cowboys.”
Jerry’s son Stephen, the Cowboys’ executive vice president, reiterated that sentiment and even stated that if former head coach Mike McCarthy had been retained, there’s a good chance Schottenheimer wouldn’t still be in Dallas.
“Mike was going to call the plays if he were here,” Stephen said. “Schotty wouldn’t have been here had Mike stayed and called the plays. [Schottenheimer] was ready to go somewhere, and he had opportunities to go call plays [elsewhere].”
Schottenheimer’s success in calling plays in the NFL has been inconsistent, though he’s certainly had his highlights. Per Pro Football Reference, in his 14 years as an offensive coordinator in the league, he’s only cracked the top 10 in yards per game twice (No. 8 in Seattle, 2019; No. 5 in Dallas, 2023). Even the 2023 numbers come with a bit of an asterisk as McCarthy was known to have been calling plays from the field.
In Schottenheimer’s defense, four of his seasons have seen him lose his starting quarterback during the course of the year, including Chad Pennington in New York, Sam Bradford in St. Louis (twice), and, most recently, Dak Prescott in Dallas.
Schottenheimer has had more success producing actual points – which is obviously the name of the game – finishing top 10 in three straight seasons with Russell Wilson and the Seahawks (2018-20) and No. 1 in the league with Dallas in 2023.
The new Cowboys head coach has also had success with quarterbacks, producing the best passer ratings in the careers of Prescott (2023), Wilson (2018), and Sanchez (2011).
However, don’t expect Schottenheimer to bring the same offense into 2025 that Cowboy fans have seen the past two seasons. Schottenheimer plans to “modernize” the offense moving forward, attempting to bring back some of his Seattle success into the Cowboys’ future.
“I look at some of the things we did in Seattle, but it all things starts with what our players do well,” Schottenheimer said. “I’m a believer in cut splits, shifts, and motions to distort things , marrying our runs and passes and make those things look the same. There’s also a tempo element we’re excited to mix in.”
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