Cowboys coaching candidates: Ben Johnson and other names Dallas should consider

Jerry Jones once famously said that 500 coaches could have won Super Bowls with the early 1990s Dallas Cowboys teams. The owner and general manager has made six hires since winning two Super Bowls with Jimmy Johnson and one with Barry Switzer. No one who has followed has been able to get the Cowboys past the divisional round of the playoffs.

“I always know coaches and where they’ve been,” Jones said after Dallas’ season-ending loss eight days ago. “When we go to Mobile (for the Senior Bowl), you’ll see about 500 of them there who would love to be on the staff. That number 500 has gotten me in trouble, but there are so many. And you’ll see coaches there who have been on Super Bowl staffs. There are probably Super Bowl coaches out there right now who, given the opportunity, would coach again. In my mind there is.”

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy parting ways on Monday, Jones will now get another try.

There isn’t an obvious choice to be Dallas’ 10th head coach in franchise history. But there are several names that could make sense. Here is an overview of some of the top candidates.

Former head coaches

Ron Rivera

The former Super Bowl-winning linebacker with the 1985 Chicago Bears led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl as their head coach in 2015. That Carolina team went 15-1 before eventually losing to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Rivera did not has just as much success as the Washington Commanders head coach from 2020-2023. They made the playoffs once, but never had a winning record during those four seasons.

Pete Carroll

He spent 14 seasons as the Seattle Seahawks head coach, reaching the Super Bowl in 2013 and 2014. The 2013 Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl 48. Carroll’s teams reached the playoffs 10 times during that stretch. During its best seasons, Seattle was known for having the NFL’s top defense.

Brian Flores

The Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2021. The Dolphins had a winning record in two of those three seasons, but never made the playoffs. Over the past two seasons, he has transformed Minnesota’s defense into one of the best in the league.

Jon Gruden

If it weren’t for the whole disgraceful way in which Gruden left the NFL in 2021 when he resigned from his position as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after the email controversy, this would be a much more likely possibility. The current Barstool personality is an offensive mind who has had success in the NFL as a head coach at multiple locations. He revived the Raiders in the late ’90s and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2002. In coaching under Al Davis with the Raiders, Gruden has experience working with a Jones-type owner.

Kliff Kingsbury

Kingsbury is known as a quarterback-centric coach who has helped Jayden Daniels to his impressive rookie campaign in Washington. There are questions with Kingsbury, and they grew louder in the second half of the regular season as his offense in Washington became stale. A Commanders playoff run could mask a lot, but the biggest question to consider will be whether Kingsbury is better suited with an NFL cap as a coordinator, or whether he is capable of being a more successful head coach than what he previously showed in Arizona (28- 37-1, one playoff appearance in four seasons).

Top Coordinators

Ben Johnson

For the second hiring cycle in a row, the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator has been one of the league’s top candidates. Since taking over their offense, Johnson has had the group among the best in the league and few can match his creativity. Perhaps his most impressive accomplishment has been turning veteran QB Jared Goff into one of the league’s top players. Johnson has had the option to leave, but has been careful to choose the right option.

Aaron Glenn

The Lions defensive coordinator was the New Orleans Saints defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020. He played 15 seasons in the NFL at cornerback, making the Pro Bowl three times. He played for the Cowboys in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He has done an excellent job with Detroit’s defense, especially this season as they have had to overcome several key injuries.

Kellen Moore

The separation between the Cowboys and Moore in 2023 was not on the best of terms, but much of that was due to the involvement of McCarthy, who is no longer in the picture. Jones has always shown great admiration for Moore, to the point where he pushed McCarthy to keep Moore as offensive coordinator and play caller when McCarthy took the job in 2020. Moore’s one season in Los Angeles with the Chargers wasn’t great, but he has Philadelphia’s offensive hum, thanks in large part to a plethora of weapons. With the Eagles two wins away from a Super Bowl appearance, momentum could be picking up in favor of Moore seriously considering a head coaching job somewhere in the NFL. If so, Jones could see it as a homecoming.

Joe Brady

Brady is a hot name for the way he transformed the offense after taking over as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator. While his work in Buffalo has been impressive, there is a question of how good a fit he would be in Dallas. The two highlights for Brady were in 2019 after his work as LSU’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach and today as the Bills’ offensive coordinator. In those situations, he had Joe Burrow and Josh Allen as his quarterbacks. Prescott isn’t in the same class either, so it wouldn’t be exactly apples to apples for Brady.

Liam Cohen

Coen just finished a great season as offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay under challenging circumstances. He worked through injuries to his top two wide receivers, with Chris Godwin missing most of the season. He helped break in a rookie back in Bucky Irving in a way that elevated the offense, and quarterback Baker Mayfield is in the same class as Prescott. Prior to Tampa Bay, Coen spent four years in various stints, including as the Rams’ offensive coordinator under Sean McVay in 2022.

Wild cards

Bill Belichick

ONE the report surfaced Monday morning that Belichick would have been interested in the Cowboys’ job but didn’t know it was a possibility until he took the position at North Carolina. It was reported last week that if Belichick leaves before June 1, 2025, there is a $10 million buyout.

Mike Tomlin

There have been no significant reports suggesting that Tomlin would be fired or that the Cowboys would trade for the Steelers coach, but experts such as former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson and former NFL quarterback and Athletics contributor Chase Daniel, has pontificated about Tomlin’s seizure in Dallas.

Do the Dallas Cowboys have the most coveted job in sports?

We set @ChaseDaniel for the test pic.twitter.com/VXL59kNskl

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) 13 January 2025

Jason Witten

He has no NFL coaching experience, but his time with the organization as a player makes him a notable one. He is unlikely to be considered at this point, but could be a more likely candidate in the coming years.

Deion Sanders

His connection with the Cowboys, popularity, big personality and success as Colorado’s coach make him an interesting name. Highly unlikely, but he has a good relationship with Jones.

(Top photo by Ben Johnson: Junfu Han / Imagn Images)