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NFL insider says Cowboys 'could lean' specific direction at head coach if they decide to move on from Mike McCarthy at the end of 2024 season
Lately, it's starting to sound like Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is safer at his job than many would've assumed. Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and other players have expressed their support for McCarthy, with the quarterback going as far as suggesting things weren't done in his terms in 2024.
On Monday, Cowboys legend Troy Aikman predicted McCarthy would be back and added the last thing Jerry Jones wants is to make a coaching change.
Even still, McCarthy's future remains a mystery and with a contract expiring at the end of this season, everything is in play for the Cowboys. One of the potential candidates that has been brought up by fans and media alike is former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
In a recent article from ESPN, league insider Jeremy Fowler discussed Vrabel's chances at landing a head coaching gig in the NFL and revealed some around the league saw the Cowboys as a fit.
"Some around the league have noted the Cowboys as a natural fit," Fowler wrote for ESPN. "They valued experience and pedigree with their last hire in Mike McCarthy and could lean that way again, if they decide to make a change at all."
It's true the Cowboys have opted for experience over anything else when making their coaching hires. Not only was McCarthy the choice, as Fowler lays out above, but consider who was one of the other reported finalists: Marvin Lewis.
Even at defensive coordinator, the Cowboys brought Dan Quinn after firing Mike Nolan and later it was Mike Zimmer taking the former's place. All of these names have had head coaching experience in the past. When deducing attributes the Jones family values, that's at the top of the list.
With Bill Belichick reportedly trying to finalize a deal with North Carolina, Vrabel would be one of the most experienced candidates in the market.
On the one hand, experience is a positive. You can't deny someone who's done the job well in the past has a good chance at continuing to do so in the future. However, it also means the Cowboys are usually out of conversations such as Ben Johnson, the hotshot offensive guru lighting defenses up with the Detroit Lions.
Assuming they move on from McCarthy, I think the Cowboys' following decision at head coach in 2025 will tell us a lot about whether or not things are status quo in Dallas after such an underwhelming year.
Will they seek a candidate that fits what they've always (seemingly) sought? Or will they roll the dice on someone who could provide a much needed spark, albeit encompassing a bigger risk?
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