Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has gotten his first-ever offseason off to a positive start, but when the regular season rolls around, that's when he'll be adequately judged.
Taking over an offense led by Dak Prescott and boasting some nice weapons in CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and George Pickens, Schottenheimer will need to have the unit ticking along nicely to avoid the "firing" narrative being spread like wildfire (it already has thanks to Mr. Cowherd).
With the run game set to play a big part in how Dallas goes about its business in 2025, the passing game is what many will be keeping an eye on, and for The Athletic, Schottenheimer has everything he needs to develop a top passing attack.
"The selection of Schottenheimer was uninspiring, an appropriate term for Dallas’ entire team lately," The Athletic writes. "It’s been five years since he was a full-time play caller, but a healthy Dak Prescott, reliable target in Lamb, the deep threat of George Pickens and underrated Jake Ferguson offer Schottenheimer many options for a strong passing game."
Dak Prescott (4) and Brian Schottenheimer
Dak Prescott (4) and Brian Schottenheimer
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Schottenheimer has made it known he wants to run the football and then launch play-action passes off of that, and he has the weapons to do it.
But does he have the scheme and game plan to bring it to life?
A point about the talent: Criticize Jerry and Stephen Jones if you like (and you do seem to like) ... but the analysis of the weaponry here is accurate; this skill-position group can be something special.
Having been part of the Cowboys setup for the past couple of seasons, Schotty knows what makes Dak and others tick, what they like, what they don't, and perhaps more importantly, what each player does well, and Prescott loves play-action passing.
So we think Schotty, while not having called plays for years, might just be a duck to water once he puts that headset on.
Because he has the weapons to develop a good passing game and one that could be the driving force behind what many think will be a 2025 resurgence.