FRISCO, Texas – Tuesday out here at The Star was designated Meet the Coaches Day, sort of taking me back to junior high when having multiple teachers for all those classes and parading my parents around on Meet the Teachers Day.
This was massive.
While the Cowboys have a new head coach, Brian Schottenheimer sliding into that role from offensive coordinator the past two seasons, they now have 17 new assistant coaches, which includes three new coordinators: Klayton Adams on offense, Matt Eberflus on defense and Nick Sorensen on special teams. That's a lot.
All totaled, and you will need a program with pictures to identify all these guys, Schottenheimer has a 25-man staff if we include the Cowboys retaining their three-man strength and conditioning unit. Offensively, Schotty retained four coaches from Mike McCarthy's previous staff: tight ends Lunda Wells, assistant offensive line Ramon Chinyoung, now quarterbacks Steve Shimko and game management coordinator Ryan Feder.
Defensively, we are talking everyone, with the lone exception being Darian Thompson, the Cowboys' former cornerback/special teamer who has moved up from quality control/assistant linebackers over the past two seasons to now secondary/nickel defense. And two of the nine defensive assistants are back for a second tour of duty, Eberflus having been the Cowboys' linebackers coach/passing game coordinator from 2011-17 and Dave Borgonzi, a two-year offensive/defensive assistant (2012-13) to now the linebackers coach.
Other than that, 13 of these assistants, which includes two quality control coaches and one quarterback Fellowship coach, are first-year coaches with the Cowboys.
And the common theme prevailing throughout the group seems to be "excitement."
"I mean, it's been exciting," says new running backs coach Derrick Foster, a five-year NFL veteran assistant with 10 years of college coaching experience. "Every day we come in with enthusiasm, and we're trying to connect. Want to all get on one accord. Want to make sure we're aligned together and connected with one another. And just not all in the meeting room when we're connected, but outside the meeting room. Maybe we're all out having dinner together, all staying in the hotel together. So we're all going out house hunting and things like that.
"That's been the best part about it."
Providing more shots than we can shake a stick at.
- Welcome Back Home: That being new secondary/corners assistant coach David Overstreet II, who grew up in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of Dallas and went to Samuel High School. And for those of us old enough to remember, his father is David Overstreet, who went to high school in Big Sandy, Texas, was a star Wishbone halfback for Barry Switzer at Oklahoma (1977-80) in a backfield at one point with Billy Sims, Kenny King and quarterback Thomas Lott. Pops became a first-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 1981. Now those genes got passed down to his son, and proud to say of my fellow Missouri alum, a two-time first-team All-Big 12 Conference safety (2005-06) before moving into coaching. David points out the best thing about coming back home to Dallas – his dad was killed in a car accident near Tyler when he was just 13 months old – other than his aunt shouting into the phone upon hearing the good news, is being right here to run his non-profit DA Legacy Foundation that includes an annual youth summer football camp (this year July 21) in Pleasant Grove. "This is my home," Overstreet said. "I'm from Pleasant Grove, went to Samuel High School. I don't take that lightly because a lot of people from Pleasant Grove don't make it out, and I can go back and talk to those kids." Nice addition to the staff.
- Great Connections: Amazing when many of us think back to the person or persons who have influenced our career advancements, and for Klayton Adams the one who stands out the most is Chris Strausser. Their relationship started off in college, Strausser his Boise State offensive line coach when Adams walked onto the team. Adams then became a grad assistant O-Line coach for Strausser at Boise. The two met up again in Indianapolis, Strausser the Colts offensive line coach and Adams his assistant offensive line coach for two years (2019-20.) But here is another connection. Former Cowboys defensive backs coach Mike MacIntyre on Bill Parcells staff (2003-060) ends up moving on to the Jets when Bill retired in 2007, and lo and behold, there was Schottenheimer, the Jets' offensive coordinator from 2006-11. Well, Adams was on MacIntyre's Colorado staff as the running backs coach, eventually the offensive line coach for the head coach. "He raved about him" Schottenheimer said of Adams. "Said he was awesome. … It's amazing how the fraternity of coaching is so small." With a large net, uh, work.
- Franchise Season: The NFL season for teams issuing franchise tags opened on Tuesday and extends until March 4. The Cowboys have utilized the franchise tag 12 times, the last on quarterback Dak Prescott for the second time before coming to a long-term extension this past year. They've actually used the tag twice on DeMarcus Lawrence and also defensive end Anthony Spencer. Can't image this salary cap-strapped bunch will feel the need to use it a 13th time this year on any of their 21 unrestricted free agents. In fact, from an age and need standpoint, can only think of potentially three viable candidates, but the inflating price likely would scare them away. The Cowboys certainly would like to sign defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to an extension, but issuing the tag on their top defensive tackle would cost $23.46 million on the one-year guarantee. Also, there is cornerback Jourdan Lewis, but the slot corner is turning 30 this year, and that tag would charge $20.3 million. Maybe Rico Dowdle, but running backs run $13.69 million on the one-year deal. And if you are wondering down the road, like next year if the Cowboys are unable to extend Micah Parsons to a long-term deal in this his fifth year that is costing their cap $24 million and designate him a linebacker, that position charge this year is the second highest at $22.6 million, behind only the $41.3 million for a quarterback. And certain to go up.
- Itty-Bity Shots: See where Cowboys former quarterback coach Scott Tolzien, on McCarthy's staff the past five seasons, has signed with the Saints and Kellen Moore as their QB coach … Former Cowboys defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers (2003-07), after having spent the past six years on the Tampa Bay staff with Todd Bowles, has been hired by Dan Campbell and the Lions as the defensive line/run game coordinator, the two with the Cowboys for four seasons. Connections you know … And heard during a recent radio interview on The Ticket from this week's Davey O'Brien Award dinner the retired quarterback Colt McCoy talking highly of Klayton Adams, the two briefly together in 2023 with the Cardinals before McCoy was released at the start of the season while Adams served as the team's offensive line coach.
And it's always good to hear from the special teams coaches in Cowboys history, and got a feeling this will be no different with Sorensen, a former defensive coach on the Seattle staff when Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator. They then spent a year together (2021) in Jacksonville, where he was the special teams coach.
So Nick knows Schotty.
"He's always been like this. He's always been really smart, cared about people, had great energy," and there is that word again, energy, and this time coming from Sorensen. "So what he's bringing is who he is. I always felt like he'd be a great head coach, and being a part of it his first time is exciting. No doubt he's going to do a heck of a job, and so far it's been awesome.
"I've been here over a week now, and it's just who he is. He's very consistent. He cares about the players, he cares about the people and everybody in the building, and in the end, it's about the players, and you see that. And he wants to do things right and puts thought into everything he does, but with great energy and enthusiasm, which I think it's about."
And if anything from this Meet the Coaches Day, key words are "excitement, energy and enthusiasm."
Well, let's go.
