Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer will be tested in first year as head coach

Brian Schottenheimer will have some challenges in his first year coaching the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during training camp. | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer will have his feet to the fire in his first season at the helm.

There's a lot of factors that go into being a first-year head coach, and the schedule is part of that struggle.

ESPN insider Todd Archer believes the schedule will put Schottenheimer's head coaching talents to the test.

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Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer reacts while speaking to the media at a press conference at the Star. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

"The Cowboys play four Thursday games, opening the season against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on Sept. 4," Archer wrote.

"On Thanksgiving, they welcome Patrick Mahomes to AT&T Stadium for his first start there with the Kansas City Chiefs, followed a week later with a Thursday night game at the Detroit Lions. The final game comes on Christmas Day at Washington. For a first-year head coach, Schottenheimer will be tested in how he keeps his team fresh, especially late in the season when three of the Thursday night games come in a five-week span."

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The Thursday games are nothing new for the Cowboys, who faced a pair of them last year, but this is a new level of preparation.

Schottenheimer will have to be smart in how he plans conditioning for his players, because the Cowboys have been subject to injury before, and it especially cannot come at a crucial point in the schedule where Dallas could be competing for a playoff spot.

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer speaks to the media at a press conference at the Star. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

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