Cowboys 'Realistically Interested' In Eagles OC

As soon as news broke that Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys would be divorcing, many were speculating that Eagles OC Kellen Moore could return.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones / Peter Casey-Imagn Images
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PHILADELPHIA - The Dallas Cowboys and Mike McCarthy are parting ways and already the NFL rumor mill is churning with the idea that mercurial owner Jerry Jones could turn toward familiarity and make a run at convincing Kellen Moore to return to North Texas as the Cowboys' next head coach.

Already the betting markets have installed the current Eagles offensive coordinator as the favorite.

The reality is those kinds of initial lists are highly speculatory and are making the leap that Moore's history with the Cowboys organization -- he was a backup quarterback in Dallas as a player from 2015-17, hired as the quarterbacks coach straight off the field in 2018, and was the offensive coordinator from 2019-22 -- is foreshadowing the future.

Always a Jones favorite there was talk that Moore would be installed as head coach earlier but Jones begged off due to the inexperience, instead hiring the veteran McCarthy in 2020.

McCarthy and Moore worked well together with the Cowboys winning 12 games in 2021 and 2022. However, playoff failings demanded that McCarthy take action and the spin was that Moore was too pass-heavy, ironic in hindsight considering what happened with Moore during his first go-round in Philadelphia this season with Saquon Barkley rushing for 2,005 yards and the Eagles going all-in with the running game.

In between leaving Dallas and arriving in Philadelphia, Moore had a short stint as the OC with the LA Chargers, alongside lame duck Brandon Staley in 2023, where the OC was also considered pass-heavy.

Now the thought in the Dallas Metroplex is that Jones can better sell Moore as an OC amid a 15-win season and counting while also taking the coach away from a division rival.

Things get a little more complex when you peel back the onion of the Eagles offense which underachieved in the passing game with significant talent despite selling Moore's reputation with motion and scheme to evolve and modernize the offense. In reality, Philadelphia got more old school than ever riding the offensive line, Barkley's historic season, and the No. 1 defense.

From Moore's side, he's also now lived a more stable existence under an owner like Jeffrey Lurie, a sharp contrast from Jones, who tends to be about the sizzle more than the steak.

"I think Jerry will be realistically interested," an NFL source said when asked if the Moore scuttlebutt was real. "He liked Kellen a lot."

Moore, 36, does have the ambition to be a head coach and has already been requested for interviews by Jacksonville and New Orleans for their coaching vacancies but is not considered to be one of the favorites in either city.

Moore is also fond of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, a player he helped develop from fourth-round pick to a Pro Bowl constant.

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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen