Schottenheimer’s career shifted while working for Carroll, and his time in Seattle will shape Dallas’ 2025 offense
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys’ process that led them to promote offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to becoming their 10th head coach was unique. One could talk about the dynamics at play in regards to that for days.
Instead, let’s shift to what Schottenheimer said he plans to do on the field in 2025 where he will assume the role of both head coach and offensive play caller, the same power Mike McCarthy wielded in Dallas the last two seasons. Schottenhimer himself said he wasn’t ready to be a head coach when he was a first-time offensive coordinator with the New York Jets from 2006-2011, but nearly two decades later, he feels ready. One of the biggest reasons why is his time working under Pete Carroll as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator from 2018-2020.
“Going to Seattle was, I would say was critical to my development as a coach. Pete Carroll challenged me in a number of ways,” Schottenheimer said. “He challenged me to be authentic, to continue to dive into the relationships that matter, which is your coaches, your players, ownership. He challenged me offensively to be honest with you. … The [Sean]McVay-[Kyle] Shanahan style was taking off, and in Seattle we were competing against Sean and Kyle. So he was pressing me. I just really feel like things changed for me when I went with Pete. I learned a ton from my dad and all the coaches [I’ve worked with]: Mike [McCarthy], Steve Spurrier, all those guys, but Pete Carroll sharpened my edge and sharpened my view on what I want.”
Brian Schottenheimer as OC and offensive play-caller
When there were rumors of Jones talking to Carroll about Dallas’ head coaching vacancy, they were half-true. Jones and Carroll did speak, but it was really Jones checking out Schottenheimer’s references.
“I got a good chance to really refresh my memory of his [Carroll’s] philosophy and his approach to coaching. So I know that Schotty takes a lot from his approach to coaching,” Jones said. … “So to a degree every time Pete would be a proponent of this or that, you know that Schotty’s got some of that.”
Jones called both Spurrier and Carroll to get even more background on Schottenheimer, even asking Caroll why he fired Schottenheimer as his OC after the 2020 season.
“We [Jones and Carroll] got into that real good because Schotty has been effusive about the impact of not only his father but Pete and the people that have shaped him along the way. It’s kind of interesting. … I like our shine with Schotty.”
Providing continuity for quarterback Dak Prescott was a factor in Jones’ decision to promote Schottenheimer, even though he confirmed Prescott himself did not participate in the hiring process for McCarthy’s successor. The new Cowboys head coach gushed about the relationship he and Prescott have built while working together closely the last two seasons.
“Iron sharpens iron. Dak and I have an incredible relationship, just like I have an incredible relationship with all these guys,” Schottenheimer said. “Dak and I know how to push each other’s buttons. We know how to have hard conversations. I laugh because I think about in training camp last year. Last year, the ball got intercepted, and we kind of had a thing in place where it’s like you throw an interception, you come out. So I took Dak out, and he’s like ‘What?!’ You push back. The competitor in him is special.”
So what’s going to change? Schottenheimer intends to go back to using play-action to around the top-five rate it was used at in 2023 (27.7%, fifth-highest in the NFL) while also implementing more motion.
“I think he and I working together along with the rest of the guys putting together the system, there’ll be tweaks. There’s going to be changes,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s the type of worker that changes an entire organization, and I think he and I see the game of football offensively very, similar. We’ll have tons of communication moving forward on some of the thoughts of things we want to do whether it’s tempo, or some of the different things we’re trying to do with our play-action passing game, the run game, things like that. He’s easy to talk to. I love and respect him along with all those guys.”
Schottenheimer’s offenses led the NFL in rush yards twice, once with the New York Jets in 2009 and another time in 2018 with the Seahawks. That success allowed to get creative with play-action and bootlegs with quarterback Russell Wilson the last time time Schottenheimer had offensive play-calling responsibilities.
“Yeah again, I got back to my days with Pete. I think if you go back and look at some of the things we did in Seattle,” Schottenheimer said. “Obviously the starting point for me would be things that our players do well. You’re always going to start with that. If your system isn’t flexible enough to do what your players do well, then you’re probably in the wrong business. I’m a big believer in cut splits. I’m a big believer in shifts, in motions to distort things. We’re going to do a great job of marrying our runs and our passes and make those look the same. I’m proud to say that two different times in my career as a coordinator, we led the league in rushing, and they go hand-in-hand, the running game and the action passing game go hand-in-hand.”
Cowboys offense last two seasons, NFL ranks
* Per NFL Pro/NFL’s Next Gen Stats
** Out of 36 qualified QBs in 2024 for Prescott’s advanced metrics
*** Out of 32 qualified QBs in 2023 for Prescott’s advanced metrics
Schottenheimer also wants to make uptempo offense a feature of the Cowboys’ attack, not just something they use when they are trailing. Dallas trailed for the 10th-most amount of game time (8:08:58) in 2024, which led to them having the shortest time between plays (33.2 seconds on average) in the NFL.
“I would say there’s a tempo element that we’re excited to mix in that our players have all shown an affinity for it, and let me expand on that a little bit. Why do players like tempo?” Schottenheimer asked rhetorically Monday. “They like tempo because it allows them to play free. You guys have heard some of the play calls; Dak [Prescott] can rattle off four or five of them right now. They’re pretty long. So when you go fast, you’re playing on the ball, it’s a little more like pickup basketball Those would probably be the biggest things that I would say from an offensive standpoint.”
At the end of the day, Schottenheimer doesn’t believe the plays themselves will be the highest priority during his tenure as Dallas’ head coach but rather the culture he sets out to build.
“My message to the Cowboys fans and community is we’re going to do this together, and we’re going to build this thing the right way. We’re going to get the culture right,” Schottenheimer said. “The X’s and O’s will come, that doesn’t matter. The support and the work ethic that these guys sitting behind me, incredibly humbling that they know how to win too. So it’s not just me, it’ll be me and the staff.”