NFL insider names 2 surprising potential Dallas Cowboys coaching targets

Dallas Cowboys coaching search
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys coaching search is underway after the team officially parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday. Amid swirling NFL rumors about potential Cowboys coaching candidates, more surprising options have emerged.

Dallas is one of the more appealing NFL coaching vacancies right now. It’s just a year removed from his third consecutive 12-win season and the Cowboys roster features plenty of star talent with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons.

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Of course, the Cowboys coaching search is also unusual because of Jerry Jones. The team’s owner is leading the coaching search and is widely believed to have a strong preference for coaching candidates he has worked with or has a strong trust in. That’s led to a unique pool of names reportedly on the team’s radar.

Dallas has already been tied to Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who served as the Cowboys’ backup quarterback from 2015-’17 then joined the coaching staff and worked his way up to coordinator. The team is also eyeing former Cowboys legends Deion Sanders and Jason Witten. They aren’t the only former team employees Jones could pursue.

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Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports shared on Wednesday’s Inside Coverage podcast that Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn is a name to keep an eye on in the Cowboys coaching search. The former Cowboys reporter also highlighted Commanders’ assistant head coach Brian Johnson as another candidate.

Lynn, age 56, is a Texas native who served on the Cowboys coaching staff from 2005-’06 under Bill Parcells. As Epstein noted, Parcells’ signing off on Lynn as a quality coach would hold significant weight with Jones. Lynn also has head-coaching experience with two winning seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

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As for Johnson, another Texas native, the 37-year-old worked with Dak Prescott as his quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State. Johnson was once viewed as an up-and-comer in the coaching ranks, but struggled in his lone season as the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator.

Johnson’s youth and his background with Prescot would check off some of the boxes that Dallas seems to be looking for. It’s also possible that the Cowboys could hire an experienced defensive-minded head coach and potentially target Johnson as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

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