While nothing has been leaked, the longer the silence remains, the stronger the possibility becomes. Owner Jerry Jones could at any time weigh in on whether or not head coach Mike McCarthy will be returning for a fifth season to lead the Dallas Cowboys.
McCarthy and company are at a bit of a crossroads. For the first time in three decades, the Cowboys are consistently winning, victorious in 12 games for three consecutive years. Yet the playoff success McCarthy was hired to bring about has escaped them.
The blowout defeat, at home in the wild-card round, does not scream team-on-the-rise. So for that reason, Jones may be ready to move on and hitch his wagon to a new head coach. If there is a move to be made, there are a lot of quality potential candidates to choose from.
When it was apparent that Jason Garrett was not going to survive his 2019 lame-duck season, we began running replacement coach power rankings. Of those names, McCarthy was our top choice among coaches who would not require losing draft picks.
At the time, because there were months of buildup, we ranked a whopping 46 candidates. This year there won’t be that extensive of a group.
Of course, what can’t be captured here is how impressive any of these guys are in the interview room. There’s only so much that can be gleaned from the outside looking in. Also to be considered, there are a handful of the best head coaches in the game weren’t actually offensive or defensive coordinators before taking over the big chair. It’s impossible for us on the outside to have much knowledge on these types of candidates.
There’s no way to know whether or not these names will turn into stud head coaches, or if they ever get the opportunity. On the list from December 2019, Dan Campbell was No. 40, three spots behind Matt Eberflus and 20 spots behind Brian Daboll. One just never truly knows.