Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore recently interviewed for a head coach position with the Carolina Panthers. And while Moore didn’t land the job he was reportedly was considered a dark horse for, it’s no certainty he will be back with head coach Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys next season.
McCarthy met with reporters Thursday and confirmed he was going through an evaluation process with each of his assistants. He said he had not met with Moore recently, but could do so as early as Friday morning. It’s worth noting the Cowboys cut ties with a handful of assistants earlier Thursday, four days after the team’s season-ending defeat in the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I really don’t want to play this game. It’s been a long couple days,” McCarthy told reporters when pressed on Moore’s job security, per Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “Kellen Moore, just like the rest of the coaches, will be evaluated. Every coach will be evaluated. The evaluation takes more than one day.”
It’s not like McCarthy confirmed Moore would be fired, of course. He simply stated the team was still in its evaluation process. However, there’s something to be said about a coordinator not being publicly backed by his head coach when the head coach is given the chance to do just that.
At the very least it kept the door open and allowed some to speculate.
Should the Cowboys opt to go a different way, Dallas likely will have one of the top available OC positions. It’s hard to contend with the Los Angeles Chargers opening given the fact Justin Herbert has plenty of talent around him. But quarterback Dak Prescott, star receiver CeeDee Lamb and impending free-agent running back Tony Pollard, should he return, likely would be pieces an offensive mind would like to work with.
Fortunately for the New England Patriots, specifically, they’ve already hired their next offensive play-caller. The Patriots on Thursday announced the hiring of Bill O’Brien, who is set to take over after an abysmal year featuring offensive assistants Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.
