Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator

The Denver Broncos will be setting up interviews this week. They have requested to interview Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore for their head coaching position.

Kellen Moore got his start as one of the winningest quarterbacks in college football history. Under Chris Peterson’s Boise State Broncos, Kellen Moore went 50-3 as a college player and was the first quarterback in FBS history to win 50 games as a starter. Kellen Moore finished top-10 all-time in virtually every passing metric, but that didn’t help his pro stock. Moore went undrafted, signing with the Detroit Lions before making his way over to Dallas.

Moore backed up Tony Romo and Dak Prescott in Dallas for three seasons. When Dak Prescott was a rookie, Kellen Moore ended up breaking his leg but still assisted the team and Dak with preparation and development. Moore’s dedication and acumen, plus his relationship with Dak, impressed the Cowboys’ staff enough that they hired Moore as their Quarterbacks coach when he retired from playing.

Moore spent a year as Dak’s Quarterbacks coach. After guiding Dak Prescott to a career year in yards and completions, Moore was promoted to Offensive Coordinator after the team moved on from Scott Linehan. The move immediately paid dividends. Dallas finished 2nd in Offensive DVOA, third in Success Rate, and first in Yards per Play, as his up-tempo offense and well-timed play-action passing kept the team afloat all season. The team finished 8-8, but that record can be blamed on Jason Garrett and the Cowboys’ defense, not Moore.

Unfortunately for Moore, the next season was struck hard with injury. Star QB Dak Prescott was hurt early in the season, and the Cowboys dealt with injuries across the board on both sides of the ball. With a carousel at quarterback that featured Andy Dalton, Garrett Gilbert, and Ben DiNucci, it was all Kellen Moore could do to keep the offense competitive. I was impressed with how he manufactured looks and plays for his quarterbacks and his creativity and excellent play sequencing were on full display, despite a dreadful (at best) quarterback situation.

Moore’s offense bore fruit this season with a fully healthy and extended Dak Prescott. Dallas finished the regular season 6th in Offensive DVOA. Dak Prescott finished 3rd in DYAR and DVOA, and it’s Moore’s offense that people tuning into their playoff run.

There are obviously some concerns with Kellen Moore as a potential Head Coach. First, he’s 33. While he’s not as young as Sean McVay was when he was hired by the Rams, he’s still pretty young. Much of his career has been tied to one place with one quarterback. Obviously, it would be a concern to see how he does in a different situation. However, with how well he managed the Dallas offense with a revolving door of poor quarterbacks, that seems like a small concern. I’m impressed with how well he has been able to tailor his offense to his personnel and groom a young quarterback to success, something Denver has struggled to do for a long time.

Potential Offensive Coordinator hires: Doug Nussmeier, Dallas Cowboys Quarterbacks Coach; Kevin Carberry, Los Angeles Rams Offensive Line coach; Adam Henry, Dallas Cowboys Wide Receivers coach

Potential Defensive Coordinator hires: Kris Kocurek, San Francisco 49ers Defensive Line coach; Tony Oden, New York Jets Cornerbacks coach/Senior Defensive Assistant; Alan Williams, Indianapolis Colts Safeties coach