Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy Discusses Rift With Former OC Kellen Moore

Dallas’s coaches had some disagreements about the team’s offense.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is set to take over play-calling duties in 2023 following the departure of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. 

With Moore joining the Chargers in the same role, McCarthy reflected on their tenure working in tandem in Dallas, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. 

Speaking at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday, the 59-year-old coach admitted he and his offensive coordinator didn’t always see eye to eye and had some significant philosophical differences about what they wanted the Cowboys offense to achieve.

While Moore preferred to “light up the scoreboard,” McCarthy said he’d prefer to run the ball, in order to enable his defense to stay well rested. 

“I don’t desire to be the No. 1 offense in the league,” McCarthy explained. “I want to be the No. 1 team in the league with a number of wins and a championship. And if we gotta give up some production and take care of the ball better to get that, then that’s what we’ll do, because we have a really good defense.”

Last season, the Cowboys’ offense ranked fourth in points and 11th in yards among the NFL’s 32 teams. That was despite quarterback Dak Prescott missing five games after injuring his hand in the season opener. In 2021, Dallas ranked first in both categories.

Despite Moore helping to pilot one of the league’s best offenses, McCarthy seemingly prefers to roll with a different style offensively, one which will be on display in 2023 with the head coach calling the plays.