Cowboys players had a loud and clear message for HC Brian Schottenheimer that he shouldn’t forget in 2026 and beyond
The Dallas Cowboys head coach has something to learn from his Christmas Day win over Washington Commanders.
Dallas Cowboys players are sending a loud and clear message to head coach Brian Schottenheimer. They’re on board with going for it on fourth down as much as he wants to.
And they let him know all about it following their 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders. On Thursday, the Cowboys went for it six times, and they moved the chains each of the, setting a new franchise-high since at least 1991. Here’s what players had to say about it postgame.
Cowboys appreciate Schottenheimer’s trust
Multiple Cowboys players praised Schottenheimer’s fourth down decision-making postgame, pointing to the implicit trust on the players behind every attempt.
Cowboys’ second-team All-Pro lineman Tyler Smith appreciated the fact that Schottenheimer hasn’t given up on the offense despite past struggles on fourth down.
“Shout out to Shotty,” Smith said. “I think that really shows the mentality of Shotty as a head coach and the trust that he has in us to get that yard. It’s easy, when you don’t get that fourth-and-one—there have been games where we haven’t converted—to give up on that, but he hasn’t. That just shows his belief in us as a unit.”
For WR Jalen Tolbert, who stepped up with two fourth down conversions himself in his first game in weeks, had a similar reaction to Schotty’s approach.
“It speaks to the trust that he has in us and in the players he has on the field,” Tolbert said. “We know when he’s going for it, he’s doing it for a reason, and we’ve got his back just like he’s got ours. So we just continue to keep chipping away and continue to put ourselves in positions to make those plays.”
Dak Prescott reveals it was the plan going into Christmas Day
To make Schottenheimer’s approach even better, Prescott revealed it was the plan entering Thursday.
“It was big,” Prescott said of the conversions. “I think just knowing going into this game, knowing in these short-yardage situations, just talking with Shotty, we were going to be going for it. A few of those third downs, he even told me, ‘Hey, you’ve got two downs here.”
I think that allows you to set up third down and feel confident about it. Then just the play calling. Obviously, we’ve got to make throws and execute, but he did a great job on all those fourth-down calls.”
To Prescott’s point, most of the fourth down conversions worked near perfectly.
“I don’t think any of them were dicey except maybe one to (RB Javonte Williams),” Prescott added. “And honestly I could have taken the QB sneak there. That was the only one. But for us to go six for six was huge in this win.”
Schottenheimer needs to learn from this
The first-year head coach has shown he isn’t afraid to go for it, but he has been inconsistent in his approach. In similar instances this season, he’s opted for the long field goal attempt or straight up punting after attempting to draw an offsides.
This Christmas Day win might stick with him, though. Trusting your players pays off, especially when you have a quarterback like Prescott leading the way. There’s a lot Schottenheimer is still figuring out. But ahead of 2026, he needs to stay aggressive on fourth downs. He’s got the talent to do it.