The Cowboys have filled their offensive coordinator post, and it will be Kellen Moore who will take over for Scott Linehan. The team announced Moore, rumored to be the frontrunner for this post, will become an OC in his second season as a coach.
Jon Kitna will be the team’s new quarterbacks coach, taking over for Moore. The latter’s playing career did not conclude until after the 2017 season, and it is now fair to label Moore, at 29, as one of the fastest-rising assistants in NFL history.
Moore is expected to call plays next season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Jason Garrett was initially rumored to reclaim play-calling duties, but the Cowboys prefer their head coach in a CEO-type role on game days. Dallas will be taking a gamble on an inexperienced coach, who will be flanked by Kitna — a high school head coach until being brought back to Dallas this month. Moore and Kitna served in their new roles at the Pro Bowl, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.
The Cowboys made Dak Prescott a major part of this process, and the three-year starter again gave Moore a ringing endorsement, despite his lack of coaching credentials.
“He can be crazy-creative,” Prescott said, via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “From the time he was a player to his time now, he sits over there, we’re watching plays and he’ll draw a play up and say, ‘Hey, this is a complement off that.’
“I mean that was the main reason I pushed for him to be the quarterback coach in the first place because I knew the intelligence he has in the game, how smart he is, how creative he can be. He’s a phenom when it comes to the game.”
Both Moore and Kitna, like Garrett, served as Cowboys backup quarterbacks for a time. Moore and Kitna started games with the team this decade. Kitna, 46, finished his career in 2011 as Tony Romo‘s backup, playing that role for two seasons. Moore was not turned to as frequently, last playing in a game in 2015. But the Cowboys kept the former Boise State standout around as a third-stringer through the 2017 campaign.
Over the past three years, the Cowboys’ offense regressed from fifth to 14th to 22nd — both in scoring and yardage — and the team wanted to promote from within to see if it could improve. No outside candidates were believed to have been interviewed, though tight ends coach Doug Nussmeier — a college OC from 2008-17 — will take on more responsibility.
I do not see this going well for the Cowboys next season. Not sure how studied up on modern day offenses Kitna and Moore are, but the Cowboys are definite need of a more creative playbook.
Could it be much worse?
Everybody say that every year some times prove wrong sometimes they don’t. Ppl acting like they now every thing. Nobody’s gonna how they gonna do till season starts.
Your comment gave me a headache.
haha…yep
Not sure how studied up Moore is? he was the QB coach. I am not saying this is going work but he has been with organization for last 3-4 years either as a player or coach
Horrible day to be a Cowboys fan.
How is it any different than every other day.
Laughing while I cry dray16…..
Stupid move but it’s the Cowboys so it’s expected.
this is the most noise during a super bowl week the cowboys have made in yrs
God I hope this works out.
This team is a train wreck!!! The HC should have been fired! They just hired a guy who a year ago was their backup QB as OC and they just hired a high school coach as their QB coach! Jerrah has lost his mind!!!
You guys realize they’re not going to be horrible, right? They’re going to do just well enough to keep Garrett’s job.
For what it’s worth, my nephew was fortunate to speak with Sean Lee in Paris for quite awhile today. Kind of random…I know. Anyway, Lee told him Moore has an absolutely brilliant offensive mind and will be a very successful OC. Lee also said he’s absolutely certain he’ll be back with the Cowboys next season.
Les cow-boys ont un entraîneur qui enseigne le français à ses joueurs?
Exactly
Anything’s better than the dinosaur Scott linehan! Now we gotta get Garrett out!!
Disagree with everyone here so far, great move for cowboys gearing for the future, and everyone involved is bought in. Don’t know anything about Moore, but you don’t just fall into a OC job. Better than hiring another retread…
I agree Mitch. You don’t find the next brilliant young coach by hiring a guy who’s been hired and fired several times over 30 years. The Andy Reids of the world have jobs. And Jon Kitna is hardly some random “High School Coach”.
Usually, you find the next brilliant young coach who has tutored under a brilliant OC. What brilliant mind did Moore work under? Also, I understand Kitna played QB in the NFL, but can he coach in the NFL? Pretty big jump going from coaching in High School to coaching in the NFL. We have a pretty stout defense. It would be a shame if the offense regressed!
After Moore leaves, I assume the next Offensive Coordinator for the Cowboys will be from Benton City WA. Linehan was from Sunnyside. Moore is from Prosser. Going south, the next city on the map is Benton City. Of course they could take a radical departure and go with John Kitna, seeing he has the connection in Ellensburg WA. Anyway, almost certainly the I-82 connection is in operation. Drew Bledsoe interested in a future OC gig?