Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones said after the season that his team will keep head coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Bill Callahan. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Garrett and Callahan will be running the offense.
Instead, Scott Linehan may be calling the Cowboys’ plays this season.
That’s the word from Ed Werder and Chris Mortensen of ESPN, who report that the Cowboys are considering hiring Linehan. The report refers to Linehan as a “compromise” candidate, which may suggest that Jones and Garrett aren’t entirely on the same page about the direction of the offense.
Linehan was fired at the end of the regular season after five seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Lions. Prior to that he was the head coach of the Rams, and before that he had stints as the offensive coordinator of the Dolphins and Vikings, as well as in college at Louisville, Washington and Idaho. Linehan has also been mentioned as a candidate for the Ravens’ offensive coordinator opening.
There’s no word on what Linehan’s title would be if the Cowboys hired him. Callahan may be back as offensive coordinator -- but without the responsibilities an offensive coordinator usually has.