REPORT: Kellen Moore to stay with Dallas Cowboys in 2021
As the Dallas Cowboys get ready to close out the regular season on Sunday, big news emerged about Kellen Moore's future. The young offensive coordinator was one of Boise State's top targets for their head coaching vacancy, leading many to believe he could be gone after the 2020 NFL season. However, that won't be the […]
As the Dallas Cowboys get ready to close out the regular season on Sunday, big news emerged about Kellen Moore's future. The young offensive coordinator was one of Boise State's top targets for their head coaching vacancy, leading many to believe he could be gone after the 2020 NFL season.
However, that won't be the case, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
This is huge news for the Cowboys, who stuck with Kellen Moore as the play-caller even after hiring Mike McCarthy in the offseason. Moore has spent almost two full seasons as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator and has been pretty successful at it.
Although he's been criticized in 2020, Moore has had to overlook an offense with plenty of absences in the offensive line and has played three different quarterbacks since Dak Prescott's injured his ankle in Week 5. Yet his offense has been able to take a step forward in the past three weeks as the offensive line continues to build chemistry little by little.
Last year, the Cowboys led the NFL in yards per play with 6.5, up from 5.4 in 2019 (21st in the NFL). They were the second-best team in offensive DVOA and finished first in yards per drive. Although Dallas already had Dak Prescott before, the quarterback's strides under Kellen Moore have been pretty noticeable. This season, Prescott was on pace to shatter just about every passing record in the NFL as the Cowboys scored over 32 points per game in the first five weeks.
As for Kellen Moore, he's turning down a pretty big opportunity to be the head coach for his alma mater at Boise State. While it would've made a lot of sense for him, two important factors might've convinced him to stay in Dallas.
The first and most obvious one is Jerry Jones' wallet. If the Cowboys are expected to extend Moore, they probably found a way to make the financial side of things make sense for Kellen.
Secondly, it's worth pointing out that college football is not only a different level of football but almost a different sport than the NFL. I mean, it's still American football, but being a head coach in college football includes recruiting duties, program building, among many other things that don't exist in the pros.
The Dallas Cowboys have regretted the departures of many coaches in the past, but they might have avoided that here. Think about Sean Payton and Matt Eberflus. Had Kellen Moore taken the Boise State job, he'd probably be added to that list.
But make no mistake about it. If Kellen Moore gets a healthy Dak Prescott for a couple of more seasons, his stay in Dallas might not be for a long time. He's a bright, up-and-coming coach, and those are in high demand nowadays.
Having said that, at least for now, the Dallas Cowboys should enjoy this win.
Featured Image Via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
