The Dallas Cowboys didn't exactly make a popular move when they promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach.
It was an oddly timed hiring process. After nearly a full season of speculation, the Cowboys parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy on Jan. 13, putting themselves behind other teams in the race to sign the top coaching candidates on the market. In fact, the New England Patriots already hired Mike Vrabel as their new coach by the time Dallas entered the coaching market.
The majority of the NFL world wasn't too impressed with the Cowboys' choice to replace McCarthy with Schottenheimer, a longtime coordinator and first-time head coach. But former NFL quarterback Drew Brees—who was coached by Schottenheimer early in his career—approves.
"I love him. He's a great coach and he's a great communicator," Brees said to former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel over text [via Scoop City podcast]. "I thought he's done really well as a play-caller in multiple places."
Brees also went on to highlight Schottenheimer's relationship with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, a point that Daniel agreed with.
"The rapport between him and Dak and some of the team leaders I think is what really pushed him toward that job," Daniel said. "Like, 'hey, we don't want to make a rash hire.' ... He's got a rapport with the team leaders. Dak absolutely loves him."
The Cowboys were one of the best offenses in football in Schottenheimer's first year as the offensive coordinator in 2023, leading the NFL in points scored and finishing fifth in total yards. But they stumbled in 2024 as the Cowboys' offense sustained injuries to key players, including Prescott for nine games.
Dallas will certainly hope to find more of that 2023 magic next season—but this time with Schottenheimer as its head coach.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Drew Brees Approves of Cowboys Hiring Brian Schottenheimer As Head Coach.
