Dallas Cowboys Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones confirmed Wednesday that Mike McCarthy will be the franchise’s first head coach to call plays since Jason Garrett in 2012. 

During my most recent post this week, I touched on things that these coaching changes could bring, positive or negative. I touched on the possibility of McCarthy calling his own plays, which is a huge red flag.

McCarthy did this near the end of his tenure with the Green Bay Packers. 

Before diving into what the new offensive coordinator might do, I want to touch on how I feel about this move.

I flat-out do not like it.

McCarthy’s offense is typically West Coast, with many slants and quick passes. How the offense is currently constructed it could work, but I will hold further comments until we see it in action. 

So with the head man calling plays, at least for now, the Cowboys still plan to hire an offensive coordinator. So, what will he do if he isn’t calling plays? 

I know a lot about football, but I had to research to find what a coordinator does with the title who doesn’t call the plays. I found a few pieces written about coaches who indeed have the title but use it for other things. 

Many I found said they meet with the starting quarterbacks after every drive and pass along suggestions to the head coach to help them with in-game adjustments.

We also must remember that being an offensive coordinator is more than just a job on Monday, Thursday, or Sunday.

They have to prep the offense to be ready for game day.

The head coach may be calling the plays, but the man with the coordinator title can help design those plays, help construct the offensive game plan, and serve as an extra body to help fill other roles for the offense.

As noted, the next offensive coordinator for the Cowboys won’t call the plays but should still serve an essential role within the offense.

Who might it be? Dallas has already had some movement on bringing in coaches to take this role. 

Below are a few names to pay close attention to.

While Jerry Jones did confirm Mike McCarthy would call plays next season, they are still interviewing OC candidates – Jeff Nixon (Panthers) and Thomas Brown (Rams).

— Nick Eatman (@nickeatman) February 1, 2023

Jeff Nixon

Jeff Nixon is the current running back coach for the Carolina Panthers. Nixon called the plays for the Panthers in 2021 after Joe Brady was fired. He also showed promise with D’Onta Foreman & Chuba Hubbard this season after Christian McCaffrey was traded.

He could be a nice addition to the Cowboys’ offense if he got the chance to work with Tony Pollard, and Ezekiel Elliott too if he takes a pay cut and returns to Dallas next season. 

Thomas Brown

Thomas Brown is another name to watch. Brown is the assistant head coach and tight end coach for the Rams. He’s only 36, an up-and-coming coach. I only know a little about him, but this is the type of guy I talked about above.

If the Cowboys bring Brown in, they aren’t hurting themselves if he turns out to be a bad hire because he is more of a behind-the-scenes coach.