“But I’m great with people,” the Cowboys’ head coach once said.
So it should come as no surprise that Schottenheimer was working the room on a hot March day in Austin. Or, more specifically, the bubble where the Texas Longhorns practice indoors. Schottenheimer not only chatted with people during the Longhorns’ pro day, he also had extensive conversations with them. First, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. Later, Athletes First super agent David Mulugheta, a Texas alum who also represents the Cowboys’ two most recent polarizing negotiations the last two seasons: Micah Parsons and now wide receiver George Pickens.
Finally, with pro day coming to an end, Schottenheimer spoke with Texas quarterback Arch Manning and, to a lesser extent, star receiver Cam Coleman. They’re both draft prospects who could be selected early — in the 2027 NFL draft.
“He grabbed me,” Schottenheimer said jokingly. “I’m not allowed to talk to those guys.
“I couldn’t be rude.”
Joking aside, at the very least, the scene captures a change in Schottenheimer from his first offseason as a head coach.
“He’s like a budding spring flower. He’s just — you can just feel him,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week from the annual owners meetings in Phoenix. “You can feel him growing.”