Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy to retain Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator
Jason Garrett might be out as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, but his offensive coordinator is going to stick around for the new regime.
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New Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Thursday that Kellen Moore will be retained as the team’s offensive coordinator and playcaller for the 2020 season, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
"I wanted to make sure we were able to capitalize on what has been established here," McCarthy said, per ESPN.
In his first season as an offensive coordinator and second year as a coach at any level, the former Boise State quarterback presided over a Cowboys offense that led the NFL in total yards and the best statistical season of quarterback Dak Prescott’s career. By Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), the Cowboy’s offense was second in the league only to the Baltimore Ravens.
That was quite the leap for a 31-year-old who was on the Cowboys’ practice squad just two years ago.
Obviously, the Cowboys weren’t able to translate Moore’s progress with the offense into consistent results or a winning record, finishing the season out of the playoffs with an 8-8 record.
McCarthy reportedly said that he won’t even have the Cowboys change their offensive terminology, opting to make his own adjustment to the system in place. That’s quite the concession considering McCarthy was the offensive playcaller during 12 of his 13 years as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
With Moore retained, the only question that remains is whether or not he’ll be working with the same talent as last year. Both Prescott and star wide receiver Amari Cooper are pending unrestricted free agents, as are slot receiver Randall Cobb and tight end Jason Witten.
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