Cowboys Insider Believes Brian Schottenheimer’s Ego Holding Him Back

Despite going 7-9-1 during his first season as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, there was still a lot of positive energy around Brian Schottenheimer entering the new year.

His offense was among the best in the league and the Cowboys spent the offseason working to improve their defense. Now after a 3-5 start and yet another fourth-quarter meltdown, Schottenheimer is feeling the heat. The calls for his job are growing and every week, he says he’s going to put in the work to get things fixed.

Schottenheimer has done his best to remain confident, but one insider thinks the way he sees himself might be the problem. Following the loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Bryan Broaddus said that Schottenheimer’s ego is getting in the way as he’s trying too hard to be something he’s not.

Coach Schotty’s ego getting in the way

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Schotty called himself an elite play caller. And you know what I think Schotty's biggest issue is? I think Schotty wants to be compared to (Sean) McVay, and I think he wants to be compared to (Kyle) Shanahan, or Ben Johnson. I think he wants to be compared to those guys,” Broaddus said.

“And I think his ego doesn't allow him to just be Brian Schottenheimer. Just to go and call a game where it's for the best of what he's got on the field that day. I think his ego doesn't allow him to be that way. I think he wants to be recognized as McVay and all those top play callers right now. You know, (Liam) Coen. But you don't have the creativity of those guys. You don't have the way that they have – The forward thinking."

@BryanBroaddus says Schotty’s EGO is what’s holding him back @1053thefan @ZachWolchuk pic.twitter.com/REYLarNeFp
— Blake Elliott (@Blakelive__) November 1, 2026

Broaddus also discussed how those elite play-callers he mentioned have plays ready to go for certain situations. He said they know what to do with a four-minute offense and how to move the ball when they need to, where
as Schottenheimer falls flat when it’s time to rely on scheme and game management.

Nothing summarizes that better than an unbelievable stat shared by Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan. Belt pointed out that the Cowboys had 34 yards of offense on their final 27 plays. During that same span, Arizona had 267 yards on 31 plays.

Dallas gained 34 yards of offense on its final 27 plays from scrimmage. The Cardinals picked up 267 yards on its final 31 plays in that same time frame.
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) November 1, 2026

Schottenheimer had the better players, there’s no denying that. But even with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams, the Cowboys were unable to move the ball. Yet the Cardinals did whatever they wanted with Gardner Minshew, Michael Wilson, Trey McBride, and Tyler Allgeier.

That comes down to coaching and once again, the better coach won.

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