Cowboys' Dak Prescott, Brian Schottenheimer Snubbed From Top 10 QB-Coach Duos

When the Dallas Cowboys moved on from head coach Mike McCarthy following the 2024 season, they were focused on finding the right coach to work with star quarterback Dak Prescott. That led to their decision to promote Brian Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator, allowing Prescott to continue working with a coach he was very comfortable with.

Schottenheimer not only took over as the head coach, but also assumed play-calling duties, which was something McCarthy did for the majority of his time in Dallas. While the Cowboys finished with a disappointing 7-9-1 record, the duo of Prescott and Schottenheimer put up some impressive numbers.

Prescott completed 67.3 percent of his attempts for 4,552 yards with 30 touchdown passes against just 10 interceptions. Overall, the Cowboys were second in the NFL in passing yardage and fifth in passing touchdowns during Schottenheimer's first season as the head coach. Despite their success, the two were left off a recent list of the top-10 head coach-quarterback duos in the NFL.

Which duos beat out Dak Prescott, Brian Schottenheimer

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid with quarterback Patrick Mahomes against the San Francisco 49ers. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

CBS Sports' Garrett Podell ranked the duos he believed were the best in the game and it's hard to argue with his top two.

Podell has Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams at No. 1 with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs second. No. 3 was a little more surprising with Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold coming in third. Sure, the Seattle Seahawks just won the Super Bowl, but they're a defensive-minded team rather than the typical quarterback-driven franchise.

As for some of the duos that Prescott/Schottenheimer should have been ranked higher than, there was Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 10) and Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 8).

Both teams have had more overall success, but the ranking is including just the quarterback and coach. In Jacksonville, Lawrence has been solid but his numbers weren't as impressive as Prescott's. In 2025, he had 4,007 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 picks.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni speaks with quarterback Jalen Hurts against the Kansas City Chiefs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As for Hurts and Sirianni, that might be the most questionable. Sirianni has had success overall as a head coach, but has been on the hot seat despite winning a Super Bowl following the 2022 season. Hurts gets plenty of credit since the Eagles win a lot, but he's not exactly a polished passer.

Hurts has never hit 4,000 yards passing and threw for just 3,224 yards in 2025. He did run for eight touchdowns, but everyone outside of Philly realizes he pads that number with the Tush Push touchdowns.

If this ranking was based solely on wins, the inclusion of Philly's duo and Jacksonville's would make more sense. But considering the Chiefs were 6-8 with Mahomes starting in 2025, that's not the deciding factor. This is why Prescott and Schottenheimer deserve to be mentioned, even with their 7-9-1 campaign.

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