FRISCO, Texas — A very familiar face has been thrown into the mix, as expected, as the Dallas Cowboys swiftly cast a wide net at candidates to determine who they want to become the successor to Mike McCarthy and the next head coach of the franchise — Kellen Moore garnering more than just interest from the club.
He's been notified that the Cowboys have sent a request to the Eagles to speak with him about the head coach vacancy in Dallas, one the Eagles can not decline as it's tied to a possible promotion from his current role as offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.
As such, Moore is expected to interview for the position as early as this week.
Moore is one of 20 candidates listed who were/are likely to get a call from Dallas' front office, and several high-profile names are already beginning to file in from that list — one that includes fellow former Cowboys' player and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders — with Robert Saleh to interview on Saturday and, on Monday, there will be a sitdown with Leslie Frazier.
Both Sanders and Moore have relationships with the Cowboys, obviously, but Moore's is far different than that of Sanders.
Not unlike the development of Jason Garrett from backup quarterback to offensive coordinator to assistant head coach to interim head coach to full-time head coach, all with the Cowboys, there has been a lot of time and resources spent in forming Moore into what he's become today.
That was evidenced by Moore going from the ranks of backup QB to offensive coordinator short order, retiring as a player in 2018 and being named OC in 2019.
He only recently parted ways with Dallas — following the 2022 season — due to schematic differences with McCarthy, who took over playcalling duties thereafter. Moore was in line to one day complete his Garrett-esque arc atop the coaching totem in Dallas, and the Cowboys view this as an opportunity to potentially make that a reality.
His time with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 was short-lived, and one he'd probably want to forget, but he's had markedly more success with an Eagles' team that features Saquon Barkley, playing at an MVP level, and one of the best offensive lines in all of football, to go along with Jalen Hurts and receiving weapons such as A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith.
There are certainly cornerstone offensive weapons in Dallas as well, as Moore knows all too well, having already established a deep relationship with All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, as well as his familiarity with coaching Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson and other players on that side of the ball who are guaranteed to be in uniform in 2025.
There is more due diligence for the Cowboys to do in the search for the next head coach of the franchise, but Moore is expected to be a frontrunner to land the job.
