Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was thought to be a leading candidate for the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach job, but never even got a second interview before the team hired Brian Schottenheimer instead.
The Cowboys promoted Schottenheimer, their offensive coordinator, instead of more strongly pursuing an external candidate like Moore for the job. Moore had previously spent four seasons as Dallas’ offensive coordinator and, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, badly wanted the job. Fowler reported that Moore “was believed to covet the job,” and for that reason, many rival executives were surprised that owner Jerry Jones did not wait to further explore that possibility.
Unlike Schottenheimer, Moore received at least some interest from outside of Dallas for a head coaching position. The 36-year-old remains widely respected around the NFL, though the Eagles’ offense has come in for some criticism this season. That, plus his pre-existing ties to the Cowboys, made Moore look like a logical option for the job after Mike McCarthy’s departure.
The Cowboys did have at least one big reason for picking Schottenheimer over Moore. That might not sit well with Moore, however.
