Out of the entire new workers hires for the Dallas Cowboys within the Brian Schottenheimer period, there may be one that ought to encourage confidence essentially the most in terms of trusting what the first-time head coach is on the lookout for. Serving as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator for 2 seasons earlier than being promoted to move coach, Schottenheimer had this exact same function to fill (since he’ll name performs himself) on his inaugural workers. The Cowboys new offensive coordinator is former Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams.
The Cowboys have additionally stored continuity at tight finish with coach Lunda Wells, one thing of a fan-favorite to a minimum of be thought-about for the OC function himself if that promotion might assure he remained in Dallas. As an alternative, it is going to now be as much as Schottenheimer, Adams, and Wells to all do their half in bettering this crew’s play within the trenches. No matter what the Cowboys need their new offense to seem like, improved offensive line play should include it for this crew to have any likelihood at returning to contender standing, they usually consider they’ve discovered their man in Adams. Additionally bringing previous expertise as a decent ends coach, the cohesion between Adams and Wells needs to be robust to ensure the Cowboys are basically sound up entrance.
Between Petzing and Adams, the Cardinals have constructed an offense that, in some ways, mirrors the offense that Stefanski runs in Cleveland. There are robust influences of the Shanahan kind offense that Stefanski majored in with the Vikings, however with a extra diverse blocking scheme within the run sport.
For instance, the Cardinals have been one of many prime gap-blocking groups within the league these previous two years, utilizing a minimum of one pulling offensive lineman on just below two thirds of their run performs this previous 12 months. In 2024, they discovered nice success operating counter, ending second within the NFL in counter run performs however displaying a large variation of formations they ran it from.
The Cardinals didn’t simply have a robust operating sport, although. They excelled in cross safety too: their 28.0% stress price was the sixth-best within the league, rating one spot forward of the Cowboys, regardless of dropping each beginning tackles to injured reserve and taking part in with a quarterback in Kyler Murray whose frequent scrambling capacity typically makes it more durable on the offensive line to carry up.
A part of this was completed by way of an insanely excessive play-action price, one thing Schottenheimer has already talked about as a precedence for his offense. Solely three different quarterbacks had a better play-action price than Murray this 12 months, and solely 4 quarterbacks threw for extra yards off play-action.
One different level to contemplate with Adams’ hiring: the tight finish place. Outdoors of the offensive line, Adams has spent essentially the most time in his profession working with the tight finish place, and Trey McBride grew to become a focus for the Cardinals this 12 months.
Don’t look now, however the Cowboys may very well be backing up their discuss with actual actions. This crew has been yelling from the mountaintop in the direction of anybody and everybody that will hear about how a lot they wish to run the ball higher. Their former head coach Mike McCarthy did the identical factor, regardless of going into his ultimate season with Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott supposedly prepared to hold the total load. This was simply Dowdle being the perfect lead again possibility Dallas had after Elliott was launched towards the top of the season.
All exterior opinions on the Schottenheimer rent apart for a second, the Cowboys should not actively seeking to arrange their newest head coach for failure. This can be a rent that places the entrance workplace in a highlight a lot brighter than anticipated, popping out of nowhere after a brief interview course of with different candidates and fanfare about Deion Sanders or Jason Witten that by no means amounted to something. They should personal the successes and failures of Schottenheimer, which begins with proudly owning the failures from the 2024 crew, of which the operating sport was one of many greatest.
Is Schottenheimer right here to steer this crew by way of one thing of a rebuild? Presumably sure. Can this rebuild be accelerated if the Cowboys teaching dedication to the run sport to date is met with personnel strikes that steadiness the offense extra? Additionally sure.
Photograph by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Pictures
Schottenheimer has talked a couple of robust dedication to “marrying” the Cowboys run and cross sport ideas in an effort to be a robust play-action crew. Hiring Adams to work on how the offensive line can get off the ball the identical method on each runs and passes is a large step right here. This was a energy of the Cardinals offense with the extremely cell Kyler Murray at quarterback. The Cowboys and Schottenheimer additionally appear dedicated to turning again the clock for Dak Prescott, utilizing his mobility, offensive tempo, and brief to intermediate accuracy to advance the offense. To date, this has been met with wholesome skepticism as Prescott is coming off one other season-ending damage. He’s actually not, and by no means has been, Kyler Murray in terms of tucking the ball and operating. He’s additionally most unlikely to have among the similar deeply gifted receiving corps the Cowboys have fielded round Prescott up to now, though including a extra legit possibility exterior of CeeDee Lamb is reportedly a precedence.
This leaves simply the operating sport and safety up entrance as areas the Cowboys have been dominant in at first of Prescott’s profession, and might look to return to in serving to the highest-paid QB within the league for 2025 and past. Hiring a former tight finish and offensive line coach as offensive coordinator is a large sign the Cowboys are literally critical about this. The connection that was made immediately after the Cowboys introduced the hiring of Adams.
One cool factor about Klayton Adams’ run schemes is how typically his RBs get a operating begin earlier than they’re even touched. The fixed pulling of linemen, nice seals, and second-level execution makes for some good operating lanes. pic.twitter.com/xpkr8gJlt8
— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) February 1, 2025
The Cardinals offensive line was led in snaps by middle Hjalte Froholdt, Isaiah Adams at proper guard, Paris Johnson Jr. at left deal with, Jonah Williams at proper deal with, and Evan Brown at left guard final season. Froholdt and Paris Jr. had only one season of beginning expertise previous to 2024, and Adams was a third-round rookie. The Cowboys have the appropriate man in cost to see them by way of retooling an offensive line in want of loads of work.
Rookies Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe took their lumps as first-year, week-one starters and can be keen to leap into a brand new scheme that ought to permit them to play out in area extra underneath Schottenheimer and Adams. Left guard Tyler Smith can grow to be the face of this place group, already dominant as a run blocker on this function whereas greater than strong in cross safety. The suitable facet is the place Dallas has essentially the most questions proper now, relying on if veteran Zack Martin desires to return after lacking seven video games in his eleventh season. The long run Corridor of Fame lineman will want a brand new contract to take action, as he’s set to hit free company together with Chuma Edoga and Brock Hoffman (restricted free company).
Each Edoga and Hoffman performed worthwhile roles as backups in ‘24, with Edoga spelling Guyton at left tackle and Hoffman filling in at both guard and center. The Cowboys should also be pointing Adams in the direction of Terence Steele as soon as physically possible, as they’ve at all times favored the appropriate deal with’s capacity to get out and set the sting within the run sport. Dallas has lived with points in cross safety from Steele due to this, however having Adams spherical out his sport might work wonders in preserving Prescott upright transferring ahead.
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In fact, there may be additionally the problem of who can be taking handoffs for the Cowboys seeking to get essentially the most out of no matter improved line play they do discover. The Ashton Jeanty discuss could actually simply be getting began with loads of the fireplace the place the smoke of the Cowboys being critical about being a bodily run crew once more is. Nonetheless, in Adams’ first two seasons working underneath Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona (a coach rumored at one level to be a candidate himself for the Cowboys HC opening after his work with Jayden Daniels and the Commanders within the division), the Cardinals have been led in dashing by James Conner. The 2017 third-round decide had a profession excessive 15 touchdowns in his fifth season in 2021, and adopted it up with seven extra and a ten yard improve in yards per sport in 2022. When the Cardinals introduced within the defensive-minded head coach Jonathan Gannon, the downhill run sport noticed a fair greater bounce with Conner. His first two thousand-yard seasons of his profession got here in 2023 and 2024, with a profession excessive 5 yards per carry in ‘23.
The Cowboys, after all, stopped totally in need of hiring a defensive head coach themselves, however Schottenheimer was part of three of McCarthy’s staffs which insisted on taking part in complementary soccer in all three phases. It was insanely tough for the Cowboys to do that when consistently passing the ball whereas trailing on the scoreboard a 12 months in the past, and by the appears of it Schottenheimer has far more coherent plans to maintain Dallas inside their sport scripts on Sundays. Equally to how the offensive workers hires to date level to precisely what the Cowboys wish to do nicely on this facet of the ball, the protection has made a shift to embracing their entrance seven extra, one other robust complementary possibility for a crew with a dominant floor sport.
The Cowboys have additionally retained the providers of Will McClay as a expertise evaluator for this offseason and transferring ahead. His observe file of discovering offensive linemen could be very robust. Being on the faculty All Star video games this previous week with a imaginative and prescient already in place for what Schottenheimer and Adams are on the lookout for is a large benefit. The lacking piece stays who can be within the backfield. Dallas can look to each Tremendous Bowl contributors as examples of the alternative ways to construct a backfield in as we speak’s NFL. The Eagles made maybe the best free agent signing of all time by bringing in Saquon Barkley and instantly returning to the Tremendous Bowl on the legs of his 2,005 yard season. The Chiefs have taken a unique strategy, leaning on veteran Kareem Hunt, a earlier third-round decide of theirs. The Cowboys should be open to all choices in terms of driving dwelling the message of this offseason to date, which is operating the soccer nicely once more.
Previous to the Adams hiring, it was simple to take a look at the make-up of the Cowboys roster and name the entrance workplace much more directionless for considering they might make this a operating crew once more. There’s no denying the outcomes have been there for the Cowboys in latest historical past when they’re dominant on the bottom although, and if that is the one method they know find out how to win, the help workers is in place to assist achieve this. Like we mentioned, don’t look now, however by way of the circus-like nature of all of it, the Cowboys may very well be addressing the soccer facet of their operation head on and taking a component of the sport that was doomed to fail from final 12 months right into a energy. The offensive teaching workers underneath Schottenheimer is actually sending a transparent message.