5 reasons why Kellen Moore should stay on with the Dallas Cowboys

Kellen Moore has come under fire from Cowboys Nation the past couple of months. After a red hot start where Moore was being praised as the “boy wonder”, he has fallen so far from grace that many Cowboys fans are hoping he is offered a head coaching job and moves on to another team. He may or may not get a head coaching opportunity but the best opportunity for Kellen Moore is to stay with the Dallas Cowboys. Surprisingly, it may also be the best thing for the Dallas Cowboys as well. Here are 5 reasons why Kellen Moore should stay in Dallas:

1. Jerry Jones wants him back

The Cowboys owner wants to win. He also likes Kellen Moore and believes that he can help the Cowboys win. If Jerry Jones likes someone, recent history has shown that he will be loyal to them and trust them completely. Look at how long Jerry hung on to Jason Garrett? Speaking of Garrett. He was often criticized and blamed for the teams’ struggles and he did make a convenient scapegoat. Now, two years removed from the Garrett regime, the “Clapper’s” resume doesn’t look all that bad compared to Mike McCarthy. Back to Jerry Jones though, love him or hate him, it cannot be denied that he is willing to do everything in his power to win. The biggest issue many Cowboys fans have had with Jerry over the years is that despite his intentions to build a winning team, his constant meddling does more harm than good. But, if Jerry trusts the people he has in charge, he is more apt to take a hands off approach. Kellen Moore appears to have his trust, perhaps even more so than Mike McCarthy does, so having him in the building could be a good thing for the Cowboys.

2. He’ll have another year to learn and develop under Mike McCarthy

Kellen Moore has often been compared to a young Jason Garrett. Both were young up and coming offensive coordinators who enjoyed brief success with the Dallas Cowboys. In Jason Garrett’s case, he was groomed to be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and it was all but predetermined that he would eventually get the job. Many Cowboys fans believe that Kellen Moore is going to follow that same path. While some fans may not like that idea at all, if it is going to happen anyway, it is preferable that Moore be given as much time as possible to prepare and learn given his relative inexperience as a coach. Mike McCarthy may not be every Cowboy fans’ favorite coach, but he has a wealth of experience in that role and is a valuable resource for a head coach in waiting like Kellen Moore. In addition to the opportunity to continue to learn under McCarthy, If things go south in a hurry next season, maybe Kellen Moore would be given the interim job instead of Dan Quinn. That is exactly how it played out when Jason Garrett took over for Wade Phillips in 2010. In such a scenario, the Cowboys can have a free trail period before they decide to commit to Kellen Moore if that is what their intention truly is. Kellen Moore for his part would get the opportunity of real head coaching experience with low expectations for success.

3. Dak Prescott Believes in Him

The Cowboys have invested heavily in Prescott and it is no secret that he has always championed Kellen Moore and has a strong relationship with him. Kellen Moore has been credited with helping Dak attain elite level results as a passer. Forgot about the second half of the 2021 season. If this conversation were being had after the Cowboys knocked off the Patriots in overtime (pre Dak Prescott calf injury), the collective opinion about Kellen Moore would be entirely different than it is now. Is anyone else curious to find out if the Cowboys offensive struggles had more to do with the offensive line woes, Ezekiel Elliott‘s injury, and most importantly Dak’s injury; or, if indeed the Denver Broncos provided the rest of the league with the blue print to stop Kellen Moore’s offense? I still believe in Dak Prescott as a quarterback. The weapons around him may be vastly different after the draft and free agency, but with a coordinator he knows and trusts and an offseason to recover from his injury, he may be back better than ever next season. A strong showing by Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense in 2022 will once again raise Kellen Moore’s stock to levels it has not attainted since the Cowboys 6-1 start this season.

4. Dan Quinn is Back

This was great news for Cowboys fans and unexpected news at that. Most Cowboys beat writers and sources close to the team were convinced that Dan Quinn was going to be the next head coach of the Denver Broncos. They all turned out to be wrong and no one is happier than Cowboys Nation to have Dan Quinn back as defensive coordinator. Quinn will be hard pressed to emulate the defensive production he enjoyed in 2021 in terms of turnovers, but he also seems to be on the verge of building something with young Micah Parsons as the center piece. A good defense is going to help Kellen Moore and the offense immensely and they have proven to be quite formidable when given the opportunity to play with a lead.

5. The Organization as a Whole

Speaking entirely on Kellen Moore’s behalf, he is much better off being employed with the Dallas Cowboys than he would be with any other organization he has the opportunity to coach next season. In terms of compensation, Jerry Jones has deep pockets and is willing to dig deep in order to retain coordinators that he feels will help his team succeed. The performance of the team on the field has been a question mark over the past quarter century for the Cowboys, but not from lack of effort, commitment, or resources. No doubt the desire to win remains strong and any coaching job in Dallas remains as prestigious as they come. Compare that to those franchises in Miami and Jacksonville where Kellen Moore could be in the running and it pales in comparison. Those teams consistently struggle to fill seats with a revolving door of head coaches and would be franchise quarterbacks coming and going like the wind. Then there is Minnesota, where Kellen Moore is rumored to have interest. The Vikings franchise is iconic enough but state income taxes and dreary winter weather are far less appealing than Texas or Florida. Staying put in Dallas offers Kellen Moore financial security, warm weather, and the bonus of being employed by the most prestigious and iconic franchise in all of professional sports.

Surely there are several strong reasons for Kellen Moore to consider staying in Dallas. By the time this NFL coaching carousel completes its circuit, Moore many not even have a choice in the matter. Yet, if a job offer is presented to Kellen Moore, he is probably going to take it. The desire to become a head coach is always going to trump the desire to remain an offensive coordinator. The only reason that Moore might actually consider staying on for another year is that Jerry may be dangling that head coaching carrot in front of him. Maybe Kellen Moore truly is the second coming of Jason Garrett and it may only require a little bit of patience for him to land his dream job in Dallas. That has been a popular theory among Cowboys fans as soon as Moore has hired on as QB coach in 2019. If that is indeed the ultimate plan, what many Cowboy fans fear is that Kellen Moore’s dream job will end up being their real life nightmare.

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