Cowboys To Hire Klayton Adams As OC

Klayton Adams is indeed set to receive his first coordinator opportunity. The Cardinals’ offensive line coach is being hired by the Cowboys, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report.

Adams was listed as a strong candidate for the position when he first interviewed with Dallas earlier this week. A second, in-person meeting took place today, another sign that a hire was imminent. Immediately after it was reported the Cowboys were aiming to bring Adams into the fold, a deal has in fact been reached.

Dallas had Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator for each of the past two years, but in the wake of Mike McCarthy‘s departure he was promoted to head coach. Schottenheimer’s first HC opportunity will see him handle play-calling duties, but the Cowboys’ OC position will still be important with neither McCarthy nor former coordinator Kellen Moore at the helm.

Adams, 41, began his college coaching tenure in 2005. He spent considerable time as an O-line coach, but in 2018 he did serve as a co-offensive coordinator at Colorado. Immediately after that, Adams received his first NFL opportunity with the Colts. A four-year stretch in Indianapolis saw him work at first as an assistant offensive line coach before he handled tight ends coach responsibilities.

For the past two years, Adams has worked in his current role with Arizona. Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has been complimentary of his work during that time, although Adams was not linked to any other coordinator openings for this year’s cycle. Now, he will head to Dallas in a bid to oversee a rebound on offense compared to last season.

Dallas ranked 17th in yards and 21st in points scored in 2024, a year in which a number of key injuries contributed to those figures. Having a healthy Dak Prescott will help the passing game in particular moving forward, but plenty of room for improvement exists on the ground. The Cowboys’ committee approach at running back did not go according to plan (even with Rico Dowdle enjoying a career year and surpassing 1,000 rushing yards). Finding better balance and efficiency will be a key goal for Adams upon arrival.

Schottenheimer has already brought in Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator while tapping Nick Sorensen to lead Dallas’ special teams. Adams is now in place for the OC role, and as such each of the top roles on the Cowboys’ staff have now been filled. Schottenheimer’s attention will now turn to position coaches as Adams prepares to handle coordinator duties at the pro level.