Cowboys Rumors: Why McCarthy Named Schottenheimer OC After 'Differences' with Moore

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore reportedly had "philosophical differences" that led to Moore's departure this offseason.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said McCarthy will now be running the Cowboys offense amid the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as Moore's replacement.

"This is Mike McCarthy's show now. He's going to be calling the plays," Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. "So, Mike McCarthy and the Dallas staff wanted to bring somebody in who would create support, organization, sort of run things day-to-day. But on Sunday, it's going to be that man right there, Mike McCarthy. So even though he and Kellen Moore worked well together for three years and put up a lot of points and yards, Mike McCarthy inherited Kellen Moore when he took over three years ago. So, there were some philosophical differences that were inherent. And so, now McCarthy has somebody that he can trust, somebody who he worked with before, 1998 they were on the same Kansas City Chiefs staff back in the day, so they have some major history together."

Moore called the plays for each of McCarthy's first three seasons in Dallas. That marked a departure from McCarthy's coaching style in Green Bay, which saw him serve as the primary play caller throughout his 13-year run with the franchise.

After two straight early exits from the playoffs, the Cowboys made several changes to McCarthy's coaching staff. In addition to Moore's departure, the team also let go of assistant head coach Rob Davis, senior defensive assistant George Edwards, assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett, running backs coach Skip Peete, offensive line coach Joe Philbin and quality control analytics coach Kyle Valero.

From a production standpoint, Moore's exit in Dallas was undeserved. The Cowboys led the NFL in offense in two of his four seasons in charge, though they dropped to 11th during the 2022 campaign. Many of the issues this season revolved around the performance of Dak Prescott, who tied for the NFL lead with 15 interceptions. Prescott threw two more picks in a winnable NFC Divisional Round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers as well.

It's unclear if the issues were more deeply rooted in the scheme or personnel. The Cowboys traded Amari Cooper last March and struggled mightily in finding an adequate replacement, with no pass catcher besides CeeDee Lamb topping 600 yards.

If scheme was the issue, it's unlikely McCarthy is going to find much help in Schottenheimer. The longtime NFL assistant coach has almost zero history of success despite more than two decades of experience. Among coordinators who have consistently worked in the NFL, it would be fair to say Schottenheimer ranks among the worst.

Moore, meanwhile, arguably upgraded his post by being immediately hired as the Los Angeles Chargers' new offensive coordinator.