FRISCO, Texas – Before Brian Schottenheimer was hired as the Cowboys’ head coach, his time in Dallas began in 2022 as an analyst under now former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy hired Schottenheimer in a role to help defensive coordinator Dan Quinn plan for opposing offenses. The additional goal was to give Schottenheimer a reset after one season as the Jaguars’ passing game coordinator in 2021. Evidently, the hire worked out well for all parties involved.
“He just needed a reset for his family, frankly I had just went through the same thing in ‘19,” McCarthy said of Schottenheimer at NFL Owners Meetings. “I thought it was really good for him, personally, really good for his family, and look what it did. It springboarded him right back in as an offensive coordinator, I thought he did a great job for us, and so well deserving of his opportunity in Dalals. If there’s ever been a guy that’s ready, it’s definitely Brian Schottenheimer.”
The analyst role may not be the most glamorous, but it was one that McCarthy knew Schottenheimer could handle, and he delivered.
“I thought he was a tremendous asset for us,” McCarthy said. “We got Ben McAdoo to do it the year before. To have that level of coach in that position was a true benefit, and I think he really enjoyed it. He enjoyed being on the defensive side of the ball. It was an opportunity for him to look through that lens for a year, and he gave Dan Quinn great input and was awesome doing it.”
Schottenheimer credited McCarthy for the major impact he’s had on his coaching career, beginning all the way back in 1998. Schottenheimer was an assistant for the Chiefs while McCarthy was the QBs coach, both working under McCarthy’s mentor and Brian’s father Marty Schottenheimer.