Jerry Jones praises Jerry Jones while introducing Brian Schottenheimer

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has heard the talk. He’s heard the critics say he no longer takes risks and that the decision to hire Brian Schottenheimer as the new head coach is proof that he’s suddenly scared of change.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. Or at least, that’s what Jones says.

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During Schottenheimer’s introductory press conference, Jones took a moment to praise himself for hiring Schottenheimer. And as he pointed out, this is about as big of a risk as anyone could have taken.

Jerry Jones wants everyone to know he’s still a risk-taker. He said hiring Brian Schottenheimer as the next Cowboys head coach “is as big a risk as you can take” because he has no head-coaching experience pic.twitter.com/t2QEY5b27E
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 27, 2025

Of course, Jones proved even in that comment that he doesn’t get it. He claims Schottenheimer is a risk since he’s never been a head coach — as if no other owner has been willing to trust their franchise to a first-time coach.

Yet time and again we see first-time coaches such as Sean McVay, Nick Sirianni, DeMeco Ryans, Matt LaFleur, and many others do well.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The real risk with Schottenheimer comes with his ability to be a head coach. While he’s had some success in the past, he wasn’t on the radar for any other franchise.

That’s not because he wasn’t a head coach in the past, but more likely due to the fact that he was an offensive coordinator who didn’t call plays for a 7-10 franchise.

None of this means Schottenheimer can’t have success but Jones selected him to keep the continuity between Dak Prescott and the coaching staff. Saying anything else is nothing more than lip service.

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