Cowboys Must Start Asking Tough Questions About Brian Schottenheimer

Brian Schottenheimer is an incredibly charismatic head coach who knows how to say all the right things. He's also orchestrated some great offensive showings during his time as the Dallas Cowboys' shot-caller.

What he hasn't done, is find a way to win consistently.

Following their abysmal showing on Thursday Night Football, the Cowboys are now 2-3 this season and 9-12-1 under Schottenheimer. His record is inexcusible for a team loaded with Pro Bowl players, but he seems to get a pass due to the performance of his offense.

Brian Schottenheimer deserves blame for the defensive shortcomings

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer celebrates as he leaves the field following a game against the Houston Texans. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While it's true the offense has been among the best in the league, the Cowboys' defense has been a mess. That was true when Matt Eberflus was the defensive coordinator and we all were guilty of putting the majority of the blame on Eberflus.

This offseason, Schottenheimer was able to rebuild the defensive coaching staff, beginning with the hiring of Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator. Parker was given an overhauled defensive roster as well, but through five games, they remain one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

That was evident on Thursday when they couldn't stop an 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, which was led by an undrafted free agent quarterback Jalon Daniels. Typically, an inexperienced quarterback playing on the road during a short week is a recipe for disaster. Against the Cowboys, however, it was an opportunity for Daniels to shine.

He picked apart the secondary, and had plenty of help from the ground game as well. As was the case throughout 2025, the fingers are being pointed at the defensive coordinator, but it's time to turn the attention to Schottenheimer. While the play on the field was bad, the true problem came down to the entire team being unprepared for the game, and it's not the first time we've seen this under Schottenheimer.

Thursday's loss feels familiar, because it is

Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett celebrates with OT Kelvin Beachum after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The loss in Week 5 was disheartening, since it could have given Dallas a 3-2 record while allowing them to go into a mini-bye with a winning record. They now have 10 days to prepare for the Green Bay Packers, but instead of looking ahead to this game with optimism, we're again asking what is wrong with the Cowboys.

This feels eerily similar to what they went through in Week 9 of the 2025 season. Sitting at 3-4-1, the Cowboys hosted the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football and had a chance to go into the bye week with a 4-4-1 record. The deck was stacked in their favor, with Kyler Murray injured.

That meant the Cowboys were taking on backup Jacoby Brissett, who had a career game. Brissett looked like an All-Pro as he threw for 261 yards and had three total touchdowns in a 27-17 victory. As was the case against the Bucs, Schottenheimer was completely outcoached by a struggling team with a coach on the hot seat. In fact, Jonathan Gannon was fired by the Cardinals, who never won another game in 2025 after embarrasing the Cowboys.

Pointing the finger at Parker is easy after Thursday's loss, but this team's defense looks exactly the same under Parker as it did under Eberflus. Their offense is also guilty of falling short under the bright lights, which is exactly what they did against Arizona in 2025 and Tampa Bay in 2026.

That falls directly on Schottenheimer, which is why it's time to stop talking about the defensive coordinator and start talking about the head coach.

Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer reacts at press conference at the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo training ground. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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