The cat is out of the bag for one of the Dallas Cowboys’ most important secrets behind offense’s success
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the top young coaches in the league, and he’s already on the rise.
Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams is one of the best bets the Dallas Cowboys — and head coach Brian Schottenheimer — made all offseason. Adams is largely in charge of the run game, which ranks sixth in the NFL in EPA/play and fourth in success rate, per RBSDM.
He’s changed how the Cowboys run the football. For years, Dallas’ run game lacked spice, focusing heavily on inside zone looks and putting in little effort to change it up. With Adams, however, pulling blockers is frequent. Gap schemes and zone schemes are used alike. So is pre-snap motion. But mostly, Adams has established a mindset in the building to be physical, and it’s worked.
Though it was a relatively overlooked hire around the NFL, success is hard to find. And only 11 weeks into his first coordinator job, Adams is on the NFL world’s head coaching radar. NFL insider Tom Pelissero recently listed 24 young candidates to know ahead of the 2026 HC hiring cycle. While Adams didn’t make the list, he was the first name listed in the category “NFL coaches to watch in future years. “
The secret is out. At 42 years old, Adams has already made a name for himself. If his success in Dallas continues, it won’t be long until someone else comes a-knockin’ for him. For now, Schottennheimer can rest easy, as it’s unlikely Adams is headed anywhere in 2026. His career is still very young.
Then again, his age could be an advantage for him, as Pelissero points out.
“In the eight cycles since the Rams hired McVay in 2017, more than half of all head-coaching hires leaguewide (29 of 57, 50.9%) have come from the same demographic — under age 45 with no previous NFL head-coaching experience,” Pelissero writes.
Other Cowboys coaches on the list
Adams isn’t the only Cowboys coach on the list of names to watch in future years. Below are several Pelissero also included:
- LB coach Dave Borgonzi (42 years old)
- Passing game specialist Ken Dorsey (44 years old, previous OC experience)
- QB coach Steve Shimko (35 years old)
- TE coach Lunda Wells (42 years old)
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