The Dallas Cowboys conducted an interview with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on Friday as they try to find a replacement for Mike McCarthy, who parted ways with the organization earlier this week.
On the latest Scoop City podcast, reporter Dianna Russini and former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel outlined why Moore is currently “the hot name” to land the open Cowboys gig—even with speculation swirling around Colorado coach Deion Sanders.
To start the conversation, Daniel brought up recent comments by former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, who said anyone looking to land the Dallas job will have to “embrace” owner/general manager Jerry Jones in the role.
Moore has the edge there, as he worked as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator for four seasons from 2019 to ’22. Sanders has a great relationship with Jones, too—it’s why he spoke to the owner about the job opening—but he doesn’t have any coaching experience in the NFL.
“I think [Moore] makes a lot of sense because I think he can handle Jerry Jones,” Daniel said of Moore. “That’s the No. 1 thing.”
“There are some people around the league who say if you work under Jerry, he has to feel like he can control you,” Russini said. “… Because [Moore] came up through Dallas as a coach, there’s going to be that loyalty. … And he understands it. He watched Jason Garrett.”
Moore joined the coaching ranks as a 29-year-old quarterbacks coach in 2018. He was promoted to the offensive coordinator role the next season by Garrett and remained in that position when McCarthy took the top job in 2020.
Over his six years as an offensive coordinator—four with the Cowboys and one apiece with the Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers—Moore’s units have finished in the top 10 in yards and/or points per game four times. The Eagles’ offense finished eighth in yards (367.2) and seventh in points (27.2) per contest this season, winning 14 games and earning the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed.
Now, Moore appears to be searching for his first head-coaching role.
“I know that he would take the job in an instant,” Daniel said of Moore.
Moore is among the reported candidates for the Cowboys’ job, including Sanders, Robert Saleh, Pete Carroll and Leslie Frazier.
