With Klayton Adams added to Brian Schottenheimer’s staff as offensive coordinator, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to improve on the ground.
DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys were one of the last teams to hire their head coach, which means they’re behind in the hiring phase for their assistants. With the NFL season about to come to an end with the Super Bowl this Sunday, and with the scouting combine right around the corner, the Cowboys are still trying to fill their vacancies.
Although the staff isn’t fully complete, new head coach Brian Schottenheimer has gotten off to a good start by adding quality position coaches in his first stint as the man in charge. Early on it was the defensive side of the ball that saw an influx of new coaches, now the offensive staff is coming together. There is still work to be done, but the first few hires appear to be home runs for the Cowboys.
When he was hired, the mandate was passed down that Schottenheimer would be calling the plays on offense, but the team still needed an offensive coordinator, and that job was taken by Klayton Adams, who was most recently the offensive line coach with the Arizona Cardinals.
Adams will be a first-time OC, and his outstanding work in the running game might mean a shift in the Cowboys’ offense from where it was under Mike McCarthy. Schottenheimer helped build the ‘Texas Coast’ offense, but it appears as though the offensive scheme will look different under their new head coach and Adams.
In two years under Adams, the Cardinals’ offensive line went from a weakness to a strength and he left Arizona with the Cardinals sporting one of the best rushing teams in the league.
That’s an impressive turnaround for an offensive line that didn’t have the talent and resources that the Cowboys currently have. Adams’ success jives with Schottenheimer and his background of having strong running games. Adams is sure to bring a versatile rushing attack, and it could further thrive with an influx of talent likely to arrive in the draft.
The new OC was highly thought of around the NFL, and Arizona was reluctant to see him depart, but he likely would have gotten another offensive coordinator job if Dallas didn’t hire him first.
With Adams in the fold, Dallas was also able to retain one of their best coaches from the McCarthy era with tight ends coach Lunda Wells staying on Schottenheimer’s staff. The well-respected coach considered other options, but Wells ultimately decided to stay with the team that he’s been with over the past five years.
Although it’s assumed Wells will still be the TE coach, his job title has not been officially announced so there’s a chance that he remains in a different role moving forward. There was some speculation that Wells might be moving to coach the offensive line, but that hasn’t been substantiated. Either way, the Cowboys agreed to extend the contract of a coach they wanted to keep.
Another position the Cowboys have a new coach for is at running back, where the team added Derrick Foster to lead the group.
The organization had also interviewed college coaches that included former Cowboys RB Tashard Choice along with Ra’Shaad Samples, who were coaching running backs at Texas and Oregon respectively, before Dallas decided on Foster. Instead of going with youth, Schottenheimer went with a more experienced RB coach.
Foster spent last season with the New Orleans Saints, and the previous three years with the Los Angeles Chargers.
With the Saints, Foster was guiding star RB Alvin Kamara to his first 1,000-yard rushing season before an injury cost him the last three games. Kamara still had a career high 950 yards on the ground under Foster’s tutelage.
During his time with the Chargers, RB Austin Ekeler had his two best years with Foster as his coach. Ekeler’s 2021 and 2022 seasons saw him reach career highs in rushing yards with Foster leading the way, which included campaigns with 20 and 18 touchdowns, respectively.
In Dallas, Foster will likely usher in a new lead running back, as 2024 starter Rico Dowdle hits free agency. Foster’s first pupil could come via an early pick in April’s draft. Regardless, Foster has spent the last nine seasons as an RB coach in both college and the NFL.
And finally, in true Cowboys fashion, the team hired an assistant wide receivers coach before hiring the lead WR coach. Former NFL wideout Tiquan Underwood will work under whomever the team hires to be the new leader at the WR position. Underwood spent last season in the same job with the New England Patriots where DeMario Douglas led the way with 621 receiving yards.
There are still holes to be filled on the offensive staff for the Cowboys, most notably the offensive line job if Wells is staying with the tight ends. Expect these positions to have new coaches soon as the combine approaches later in the month.
Do you think the Cowboys will see a resurgence on the ground with Adams as the offensive coordinator? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.