The Dallas Cowboys will begin a new era in 2025 under the coaching of first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer. In a press conference during mandatory minicamp, he made a bold statement about his team and his coaching staff.
Brian Schottenheimer Is Confident the 2025 Season Will Be Different
Schottenheimer has been with the Dallas Cowboys since 2022, when he took a job as a coaching analyst. Before that, he’d worked in Jacksonville and was the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks for three seasons under Pete Carroll.
In Dallas, Schottenheimer was hired in the third year of Mike McCarthy’s tenure as the team’s head coach. He was promoted to the offensive coordinator role after just one season and helped the Cowboys to a 12-5 record in that first year in the role.
In 2024, things weren’t quite as successful, and the franchise slumped to a 7-10 record, missing the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their shortcomings came via a mix of injuries at crucial positions, including quarterback Dak Prescott and the secondary, as well as a failure to build a capable run game with a lack of personnel going into the year.
This coming season, Schottenheimer will occupy a head coaching position for the first time in his career, and he believes things are going to be very different.
While speaking about his coaching staff, he said:
“We’re gonna win. And when we win, our coaching staff is going to get raided. People are going to come after our coaches, because we’re gonna win.”
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer while talking about his coaching staff: “We’re gonna win. And when we win, our coaching staff is going to get raided. People are going to come after our coaches, because we’re gonna win.” pic.twitter.com/aRI2vJdm2i
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) June 12, 2025
It’s a strong statement from the HC, and one that shows he believes in the staff he’s constructed to run the team for the coming year.
His offensive coordinator, Klayton Adams, was hired from the Arizona Cardinals, where he’d been the offensive line coach for the past two seasons. He’d done some excellent work in building a solid foundation for the run game, with the Cardinals being one of the most efficient teams on the ground in 2024.
Schottenheimer then hired an experienced coach as his defensive coordinator, handing the keys to the unit to former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
Eberflus’ experience means Schottenheimer can continue to focus on the offense, assisting Adams with the pass game and working with Dak Prescott in 2025.
New Look Cowboys With Several Key Additions
Perhaps the biggest change of the Cowboys’ offseason was the loss of future Hall of Fame guard Zack Martin. The 34-year-old retired from the game after an 11-year career in the NFL, every moment of which he spent in Dallas.
Martin was a seven-time first-team All-Pro and was named to nine Pro Bowls. The Cowboys drafted Tyler Booker in the first round of the 2025 draft, hoping he would slot in as his replacement, but those are big shoes to fill.
Dallas rebuilt their ground game through free agency, too, signing both Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders to short-term contracts. They then drafted Texas Longhorns back Jaydon Blue in the fifth round of the draft, hoping he could contribute early on.
In terms of impact additions, Jerry Jones and the franchise are hoping the George Pickens trade will heavily impact the offense. Pickens is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and needs to play up to his full potential this season if he wants to land a big payday early next year.
