'I Missed the Boat!' Kellen Moore Reflects on 'Awesome' Cowboys Career as QB and Coach
Even though he's only 34 years old, Kellen Moore has walked a long and winding road throughout his NFL career.
Despite dominating in college with the Boise State Broncos, becoming the first quarterback in NCAA history to win 50 games, Moore went undrafted in 2012. He signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent, but never appeared in a game during his three seasons with the team. It was only once he joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2015 that he would finally get a real chance in the NFL.
With longtime quarterback Tony Romo dealing with injuries and other options not working, the Cowboys decided to see what they had in Moore in the final games of the season. He played valiantly for a team well outside the playoff picture, completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 779 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Moore was in the running for the backup role the following offseason, but a broken leg suffered in training camp quickly took him out of the running. That opened the door for a then-rookie Dak Prescott to slot in as the backup, and with Romo suffering an injury in a preseason game soon after, the Cowboys franchise was changed forever.
“The next week is at Seattle, and that’s where Tony’s back goes out,” Moore said on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast. “And Dak rolls out there and deals again. Certainly in the back of your mind as a competitor, you’re like, ‘Man, there was a chance here, and I missed the boat.’ There’s a competitive side of you that’s challenged by that, but all things happen for a reason. ... we figured out that Dak was really, really good. I’m glad we did.”
That injury marked the beginning of the end for Moore's playing career, as he never played another game. When one door closed, though, another opened. As he recovered from his injury, Moore began helping out his coaches to help any way he could, and discovered a new passion in the process.
"Scott [Linehan, offensive coordinator] and Jason [Garrett, head coach] were awesome with me; they allowed me to stay in it," Moore said. "I was in the quarterbacks room trying to be a resource or help in any possible way. ...
"It was awesome for me because it let me go on the other side of the thing, be on the coaching side a little bit. … But it also gave Jason and Scott a chance to see me from that perspective, which, lo and behold, allowed me transition right from player to coach two years later. I think without that moment, I don’t think I’m doing that.”
Moore officially retired from the NFL in 2018, and immediately became Dallas' quarterbacks coach. The Cowboys promoted him to offensive coordinator the following season, a position he held for four seasons with plenty of success. After mutually parting ways with the team in January, Moore is now the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive coordinator.
While Moore's playing career may not have gone as planned, he found a new calling that he loves instead. In his own words, "everything happens for a reason."
You can find Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News
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