After a year of up and downs offensively, the Dallas Cowboys have officially named their next offensive coordinator.
The Dallas Cowboys were a playoff team in 2018. They also featured a vanilla offense despite having a strong offensive line, one of the best running backs in football and various types of receivers who can play. That is why earlier this offseason the Cowboys decided to let offensive coordinator Scott Linehan go. Thye understood with the type of young, talented defense they have that the time to capitalize is now.
Dallas, never one to stray too far from the nest, opted for an internal candidate. The team announced on Thursday that Kellen Moore will be the team’s next offensive coordinator. They will pair Moore with former quarterback Jon Kitna as the quarterbacks coach.
Moore already got a vote of confidence from quarterback Dak Prescott. The third year quarterback did not mince words and called Moore a “young genius” during an interview.
The former Boise State lefty quarterback turns 30 this summer but has been a main stay in the Cowboys organization since they signed him in 2015. Moore was originally drafted by the Lions after a Broncos career that had him finish inside the top-ten all time in passing yards in the NCAA.
In terms of what fans can expect from a Moore offense, there is little to go off of. In college he played a spread game with a fast pace. His time in the NFL was mostly spent with the Cowboys and Linehan. Those are two drastically different styles to pull from.
The Cowboys are banking on the 29-year-old Moore trending where the league is headed. Young offensive coaches understand the value of creating mismatches and playing to your strengths. Dallas is in a good spot to do that with Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper on the roster. Moore will be tasked to get the most out of them and Prescott in 2019.
This all comes under the direction of Jason Garrett. The sixth longest tenured coach in the NFL has never even appeared in an NFC championship game. He will rely on Kitna and Moore offensively. Dallas now has a young coach leading their offense in Moore and defense in Kris Richard. Richard got head coaching interviews this offseason but will likely be staying with Dallas at least through 2019.
Garret, meanwhile, is likely coaching for his job. Tying his wagon to Moore was a wise choice. There was the option of Garrett himself calling the plays. By bringing in Kitna and Moore he does not stray too far away from what he knows but brings in younger minds with different view points to expand the offense. This was a smart choice for Garrett and the team.