5 Mike McCarthy Replacements It’s Never Too Early For Cowboys To Consider

Even though his contract is up, it seems increasingly likely that Mike McCarthy is not the long-term solution for the Dallas Cowboys at head coach. Needless to say, hiring him was a huge mistake. Yes, he can prepare his team to play during the regular season, but there is always a ceiling, especially during the NFC playoffs.

No, I don’t think Jerry Jones is going to fire McCarthy before the end of the season. He probably won’t be able to fire him until the Cowboys are eliminated from playoff contention. Then again, McCarthy is a coach with an expiring contract, so Jones doesn’t need to do anything but let the season play out and go from there. That puts McCarthy in a terrible situation.

So today, I’m going to highlight five candidates who could replace McCarthy next season. Some candidates seem obvious, while others are a little under the radar. All I want is for the Cowboys to find the right head coach to make the most of their talent. Jones may still want a head coach he feels he can control, even if it costs his franchise a lot of money.

Let’s start with a very popular college football head coach from Texas.

I don’t know if it’s the right time for Lincoln Riley to leave USC, but I never forgot that he would one day. USC may have had a huge win in Week 1 against LSU, but stumbled in its first Big Ten game last week against a Michigan team that can’t really throw the ball. Riley is an offensive-minded head coach, which is why I think he’ll eventually make the jump to the NFL.

Listen. I don’t think Riley is going to be fired from USC anytime soon. But new athletic director Jennifer Cohen didn’t hire him. Riley has a bad reputation for not really caring about defense. That’s getting better, because he hired D’Anton Lynn from rival UCLA to replace the consistently ineffective Alex Grinch. In truth, Riley might be better served in the long run by becoming some kind of NFL coach.

To me, I see him as a Kliff Kingsbury who performs better in interviews. Old habits die hard for those who loved to let off steam in Lubbock. The former Texas Tech quarterback could play very well in Dallas. He would have a lot of success on the ground and get one of the best seasons ever from Dak Prescott. Again, I don’t think Riley is going to let Jones control him. It might work briefly, but it could be toxic.

Although it seems a little unlikely at the moment, there is one avenue through which Riley could replace McCarthy.

He’s still here… Darth Sidious of the Evil Empire, better known as Bill Belichick, former head coach of the New England Patriots, is living his best life as an NFL analyst on various platforms. He loves to tell people that this guy or that guy can’t tackle. In the meantime, you, me and everyone else know that Belichick wants to get back into coaching for a chance to break Don Shula’s all-time wins record.

While Belichick is, in theory, the type of head coach Jerry Jones would concede power to out of respect, is that really what the Cowboys want to do? Even amid all their struggles on the field in big moments, Dallas has been able to recruit and develop its players well. The Cowboys can pay extra to retain their own players in free agency, but building a team hasn’t been an issue.

Belichick may be able to make his players play harder, but I don’t trust him in the war room or in terms of talent evaluation. In short, he doesn’t have enough intelligence to run the Cowboys the way he did the Patriots. Even if he did, it would have to get worse before it got better. At the end of the day, how much time do Belichick and Jones have to get this job done? It’s a tough call for me.

Just because I don’t like the Cup doesn’t mean the Cowboys won’t consider hiring Belichick.

I was shocked to see Ben Johnson return to the Detroit Lions for another season to remain their offensive coordinator. Once his name was removed from the coaching carousel, Dan Quinn was quickly hired by the Washington Commanders to be their next head coach. Currently, Johnson is on a short list of candidates who could potentially be in the running for any job that opens up this NFL offseason.

What I like about Johnson is his ability to put his players in position to make plays. He also coaches the talent that general manager Brad Holmes brings to him and the rest of the Lions staff. In theory, Johnson would fit in perfectly with the Cowboys building, as he would lean on Stephen Jones and Will McClay in leadership and would not be a challenge for Jerry Jones either.

Unfortunately, I think one of the reasons Johnson has been so successful in Detroit is because he works behind the cult of personality that is Dan Fricking Campbell, man. Honestly, would the Joneses try to poach Campbell from Detroit if McCarthy failed? He played for the Cowboys back in the day and was a star at Texas A&M. Wouldn’t that be really upsetting?

Johnson knows the X’s and O’s, but I wonder if he’s ready to take on the Jimmies, Joes and Jerries?

If the Cowboys were to hire a new coach to replace Mike McCarthy, I would choose Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Houston may have just suffered its first loss of the season, but I believe they are the team to beat in the AFC South this season. The reason I prefer Slowik over Ben Johnson in Detroit is that DeMeco Ryans is not Dan Campbell.

Ryans may be becoming a CEO-type head coach in his second season on the job, but he was previously a solid defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Campbell was a highly regarded position coach for the New Orleans Saints. It just goes to show that you never really know what kind of assistants will become the best head coaches in the game. What about Slowik?

I think coming out of the McVay/Shanahan tree allows him to get a top job this summer. Since he’s in Houston State, it could prompt the Cowboys to poach someone from the other NFL team to join the Texas coaching staff. For me, it all comes down to whether Slowik can put together the right staff to get the best out of the Cowboys. While he could, I’m not 100% sure that’s the case.

While Slowik will be highly sought after on the coaching carousel, I think Dallas can do even better.

Listen. I don’t care if he’s considered a reformed head coach. Don’t be stupid. Just hire Mike Vrabel and thank me later. I don’t really understand why the Tennessee Titans fired him to hire Bill Callahan’s son. The only logical explanation I have is that Amy Adams Strunk is his late father’s daughter. My goodness, did the late Bud Adams like to meddle in things or something? Tennessee is terrible and Vrabel works for the Cleveland Browns.

While my Atlanta Falcons could have signed him last season, I think Arthur Smith prevented that dream from becoming a reality. Plus, I have a feeling Raheem Morris is starting to build something special. Regardless, Vrabel could be a prime candidate for a number of big jobs, both in the NFL and in college. What if Ryan Day fails at his alma mater Ohio State?

Vrabel may be defensive-minded, but he knows how to build a great staff. More importantly, he would lead a strong running game in Dallas, one that would allow Dak Prescott to get the most out of it. While Derrick Henry is one of a kind, I trust Vrabel’s football acumen to help recreate himself overall and help improve this Dallas offense. Vrabel is the first head coach I would call.

Jerry Jones may want to get in his way, but Vrabel was definitely working for Adams Strunk’s team.