Loyalty is a powerful message in the NFL, but only if people believe it. Brian Schottenheimer joined the Dallas Cowboys as a consultant in 2022. However, after three years with the club, he built a strong camaraderie with the stakeholders, including Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones, before taking the head coach role. But Schottenheimer’s claim about an arrangement to stay with the Cowboys even without the HC job has drawn a counterargument from insider Ed Werder.

“Not true,” Werder wrote on X. “Stephen told me there was no way to have McCarthy return and keep Schotty. Schotty last July on our Doomsday podcast 1-on-1: “I figured that they were going to work it all out. I’ll be quite transparent. I was planning on leaving because I wanted to go call the plays someplace else. And sometimes when your contract expires, you have those opportunities. So, you know, I was planning on, okay, Mike, you know, good luck with everything. And I was, you know, surprised when it didn’t work out.”

Ed Werder’s claim that Brian Schottenheimer lied comes after the Dallas Cowboys HC’s statement. In a recent appearance on The Twins Take Podcast, Schottenheimer claimed that while other teams were courting him to be their offensive coordinator, he had an explicit agreement with Jerry and Stephen Jones to stay with the Cowboys “no matter what,” even if he was not named as head coach.

The two contradictory statements from Schotty and Werder confused many.

Schottenheimer came to Dallas after he was let go by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022. After Kellen Moore left the Cowboys in 2023, Schottenheimer moved up to the offensive coordinator. However, Mike McCarthy had been calling plays since then. Schottenheimer was able to deliver two very good offenses initially, thanks to Dak Prescott and Co.

Before landing on Schottenheimer, the Cowboys were reportedly exploring Robert Saleh (now HC of the Tennessee Titans), Leslie Frazier, and Moore. Brian’s wife, Gemmi, said in the podcast that they thought “the head coaching thing had passed him by.”

Eventually, Schottenheimer became McCarthy‘s successor in 2025. However, his debut year as the head coach didn’t go as he planned, as he finished 7-9-1.

A look into Brian Schottenheimer’s Cowboys HC debut year and plans for the 2026 season

Brian Schottenheimer’s head coaching debut year was a tale of two entirely different units. He finally got what he wanted: calling offensive plays, and orchestrated a top-ten offensive unit during the season. Quarterback Dak Prescott bounced back with a 70.2 QBR rating following a shortened 2024 due to a hamstring injury.

The offense scored 471 total points and 27.7 points per game, ranking 7th in the NFL. The defense, however, was a completely different picture.

They finished as one of the worst defenses in the NFL, allowing a whopping 30.1 points per game. As a result, ahead of the 2026 season, Brian Schottenheimer & Co. overhauled the defensive unit. First off, they replaced Matt Eberflus with Super Bowl-winning assistant coach Christian Parker. Right after that hire, they have made necessary signings.

The most promising additions include veteran edge rusher Rashan Gary and linebacker Dee Winters via trades, along with star rookie safety Caleb Downs. Schottenheimer’s goal for this season seems quite clear:

“Super Bowl LXI, Feb. 14, 2027. That’s where we plan on being,” Schotty said earlier this year.

It’s a tall ask, but we will be waiting to see if he can surprise us.