Brian Schottenheimer's promotion to head coach of the Cowboys wasn't a decision many saw coming, but Jerry Jones sees the move as part of an overall strategy that will get Dallas into contention immediately.
"The decisions I'm making are not based on rebuilding," Jones said Thursday night at Honors, . "They're based on competing. And competing now. The decisions I made last year were based on competing now. Now they didn't exactly work out. But I think I paid Dak (Prescott) more than anybody's ever been paid in the NFL. That's now. That's not the future. We're excited about our team's ability to compete right now."
When the Cowboys formally introduced Schottenheimer, Jones wasn't afraid to call the hiring a first-year head coach "as big a risk as you can take." Considering the make-up of the Cowboys roster, namely with Dak Prescott at quarterback and CeeDee Lambat wideout, Jones on Thursday expressed confidence that an in-house promotion will benefit a team that had made the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.
"It gives us some continuity but lets us have a new shot at it," Jones said of Schottenheimer, who had been with the Cowboys the past three years.
Schottenheimer does have the benefit of familiarity with the offense, as Jones pointed out. The son of famed coach Marty Schottenheimer, Brian has a wealth of experience having been in the league for 25 seasons, mostly as an offensive coordinator.
"We called it osmosis, sitting around the breakfast table," Jones said. "He made a young lifetime out of asking his father to help him, being around organizations so he could as much football as he possibly could. So, he's no accident. But he's actually had a lot of experience to be a first-time head coach. I thought we could bet on that."
Prescott, who was there to support Brian Schottenheimer at his formal introduction, has been supportive of the undertaking, saying he's "tied directly to my future" and that the QB "wanted to keep continuity" following Mike McCarthy's exit because of the recent success.
Maintaining a full scope of continuity will require some offseason work, however.
The Cowboys have some key players entering free agency with running back Rico Dowdle, wideout Brandin Cooks and guard Zack Martin, who's mulling retirement, among those on the offensive side of the ball. A good majority of the defensive lineman, including Demarcus Lawrence, are also set to test the market, but a big-money extension for star pass rusher Micah Parsonsmight take precedence.
Returning and new players will need to conform to the two big hires on Schottenheimer's staff with Matt Eberflus taking over the defense and Klayton Adams, a first-time OC, directing the offense.
But those impending moves this offseason, as Jones indicated, will be an effort to have the Cowboys competing for a Super Bowl this time next year.
