Cowboys information: Klayton Adams named new offensive coordinator in Dallas

Cowboys title Klayton Adams new offensive coordinator – Todd Archer, ESPN

Dallas retains filling out their new teaching employees.

Whereas Brian Schottenheimer will name performs in his first 12 months because the Dallas Cowboys’ coach, he has employed his offensive coordinator in former Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams.

Adams, 41, spent the previous two seasons in that function for the Cardinals and is nicely regarded throughout the league for his run recreation. The Cardinals had the seventh-ranked run recreation within the NFL final 12 months (144.2 yards per recreation) and have been second in yards per carry (5.3).

James Conner had 1,094 yards and eight dashing touchdowns for Arizona in 2024. The Cowboys have been led by Rico Dowdle, who is about to be an unrestricted free agent, with 1,079 yards and simply two touchdowns. The Cowboys had solely six dashing touchdowns on the season.

The Cowboys are anticipated to rent an offensive line coach along with having Adams.

Earlier than becoming a member of Arizona, Adams spent 4 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, working with the tight ends and serving as an assistant offensive line coach.

Able to run? Right here’s what Cowboys new OC rent may imply for Dallas’ offense – Calvin Watkins, DMN

The Cowboys seem like they need to run extra, however who’s going to hold the rock?

With Schottenheimer because the offensive play caller and with the run schemes Adams used with the Arizona Cardinals in his two seasons because the offensive line coach, this could be match.

In 2024, Arizona completed seventh in dashing yards (2,451) and yards per recreation (144.2). The earlier season, the Cardinals have been fourth in dashing yards (2,365) and yards per recreation (139.1).

The issue with all this success in Arizona is that Dallas doesn’t have a lead working again for the 2025 season or a quarterback that strikes.

Dallas Cowboys making one factor clear in Schottenheimer period: They’ll ‘run the damn ball’ – Nick Harris, Star Telegram

Harris with some early concepts about who may find yourself carrying the rock.

In 2024, the Cardinals led the NFL in post-snap pulling with offensive linemen within the run recreation, as Adams specialised in intricate blocking schemes that allowed for a number of blockers to pave holes for working backs resembling veteran James Conner who completed with the very best single-season dashing complete (1,094 yards) in his seven-year profession.

Whereas on the Senior Bowl in Cellular, Ala., the Cowboys’ scouting division put in quite a lot of work in interviewing a number of working backs resembling UCF’s R.J. Harvey, USC’s Woody Marks and Kansas’ Devin Neal amongst others. With Rico Dowdle set to hit free company, Deuce Vaughn is the one working again from the 2024 lively roster signed for subsequent season. Drafting one working again, if not two, was already a necessity. With a now clear emphasis on establishing a run recreation, it’s now change into a requirement.

Whether or not it’s drafting Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty with the No. 12 general choose or deciding on manufacturing machines resembling Harvey or Neal afterward, the necessity is there for a working weapon in a league the place Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry have powered their groups to deep playoff runs.

With the fitting rent and weapons in place to do this, it’ll solely make life simpler for Dak Prescott and the start of the Schottenheimer period.

Fascinating to notice that AZ’s run recreation has been extra numerous (and efficient) with its run scheme than DAL since Adams got here on board previous to 2023, notably utilizing “counter” idea runs way more regularly (over 3x extra) over the previous 2 seasons. #Cowboys https://t.co/KpmsatD9QQ

— John Proudly owning (@JohnOwning) January 27, 2025

What to anticipate from new Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams – David Howman, Running a blog The Boys

Listed here are the vital nuggets about Klayton Adams.

Adams’ teaching background has uncovered him to a wide range of completely different offensive schemes. It started in his taking part in days, when the California native dedicated to Boise State, again when Dan Hawkins was the pinnacle coach and Chris Petersen – quickly to be the face of this system – was coordinating the offense. There, Adams was uncovered to a wide range of completely different run schemes as a result of a number of nature of the Boise State offense that Kellen Moore later drew on to jumpstart his personal teaching profession.

After graduating, Adams began teaching as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. He moved on to numerous stints at FCS packages earlier than teaching tight ends at San Jose State. When his head coach, Mike MacIntyre, took the pinnacle job at Colorado, Adams adopted. Over six seasons in Boulder, Adams labored with working backs, tight ends, and the offensive line. He additionally added co-offensive coordinator duties to his plate in his remaining season with the Buffaloes.

MacIntyre was fired following that 2018 season, which led to Adams leaping to the NFL. He was employed because the assistant offensive line coach for the Colts, reuniting him along with his former place coach at Boise State, Chris Strausser. There, Adams was a part of an offensive employees led by head coach Frank Reich, who known as the offensive performs. Adams’ first season noticed two offensive linemen earn Professional Bowl nods for the primary time.

After two seasons aiding Strausser with the offensive line, Adams opted to return to school to teach the offensive line at Arizona State underneath Herm Edwards. Nonetheless, the Colts misplaced their tight ends coach to the Eagles only a few days later and enticed Adams to return for the tight ends job, which he accepted.

After two seasons teaching the tight ends, which ended with Reich being fired halfway via the 12 months, Adams left for the offensive line job with the Cardinals. There, he took a outstanding function underneath offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, a longtime disciple of Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Between Petzing and Adams, the Cardinals have constructed an offense that, in some ways, mirrors the offense that Stefanski runs in Cleveland. There are sturdy influences of the Shanahan sort offense that Stefanski majored in with the Vikings, however with a extra assorted blocking scheme within the run recreation.

“Those no-good, dirty, filthy, rotten Cowboys stole our best assistant coach.”

“It’s a dark day for Cardinals fans. Two years of quality offensive line play, is it back to the slums for the red birds in the trenches?”

New hires may make protection a powerful go well with for Schottenheimer, Cowboys – Ben Grimaldi, WFAA

New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and firm supply some hope for the protection in 2025.

Eberflus was instrumental in teaching up Shaq (Darius) Leonard right into a four-time All-Professional throughout his time with the Colts. Younger LBs DeMarvion Overshown and Marist Liufau may thrive underneath Eberflus. Nonetheless, like these coordinators earlier than him, Eberflus wants a powerful inside presence on the line of defense, one thing the workforce nonetheless wants to seek out.

Schottenheimer continued to construct the protection by hiring Andre Curtis to be the passing recreation coordinator. Curtis was beforehand the secondary coach with the Bears, so he labored underneath Eberflus. From 2018-2021, Curtis was the passing recreation coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks, when Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator, and led two safeties – Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs – to All-Professional years.

The Cowboys additionally added one other defensive assistant with ties to the Cowboys and Eberflus, hiring Dave Borgonzi to teach the linebackers. Borgonzi held the identical place with the Colts and Bears during the last seven seasons, making him part of Eberflus’ sturdy go well with.

One of many extra vital hires on the protection got here when Aaron Whitecotton was introduced on to teach the line of defense. Whitecotton had been the New York Jets’ DL coach the place he helped Quinnen Williams change into probably the greatest defensive tackles within the league and constructed up probably the greatest defensive strains within the NFL throughout his four-year tenure.

positions being stuffed rapidly now by the #Cowboys.

a key notable right here is that Aaron Whitecotton was heralded as a D-line coach out of NYJ and discovered/operated underneath Robert Saleh’s defensive thoughts. https://t.co/kmv18WbhWN

— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) January 29, 2025

For Will McClay, Cowboys, strengths of 2025 NFL draft may align with workforce’s weaknesses – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning Information

Issues are arrange for the Cowboys to have a profitable draft in April.

The Cowboys selecting twelfth general within the NFL Draft will be seen in two completely different avenues.

It’s optimistic as a result of it’s doubtless you’ll get a participant inside the top-10 ranked prospects in your draft board.

The unfavourable is clear. Selecting twelfth means the earlier season didn’t go nicely.

Will McClay, the vp of participant personnel, understands this greater than anybody as a result of it means you will have holes to fill after a 7-10 end to the 2024 season.

“You pick them where you are,” McClay stated as he seen Senior Bowl practices from Cellular, Ala. “It’s not a great pick because that means that we were not picking at the bottom, so that’s why you don’t like 12. You want to be picking at the bottom of the round. Where we’re picking tells us how far we gotta go. But that 12th pick gives you an opportunity now, instead of picking 19 you just moving up more slots to pick a better player now you gotta try to pick them right.”

The strengths of this draft fall inside the holes of this Cowboys’ workforce. The working again and inside line of defense positions are weaknesses for the 2025 season.

Stephen Jones: Cowboys’ championship drought ‘sits with us in a hard way’ – Employees, DMN

The Cowboys PR division doubtless got here down exhausting on Stephen after he airquoted the Cowboys championship “drought.” Right here he’s attempting to “change the narrative.”

On Thursday, Jones made an look on SiruisXM’s NFL Radio the place he mentioned the Schottenheimer rent in additional element, and he made clear that the 29-year championship recreation drought is one thing that weighs closely on him and the remainder of the Cowboys brass. Or, no less than, Jones made clear he’s conscious that it exists.

“We just felt like we needed some change, needed the freshness,” Jones stated when explaining their choice to half methods with Mike McCarthy. “Clearly, we wanna change the narrative. Our narrative is that we haven’t been in a championship recreation or a Tremendous Bowl in 30 years. That sits with us in a tough approach.

“We know we have to be better. You can’t expect to keep doing the same things over and over and expect a different result.”