Cowboys Could Replace HC Mike McCarthy With ‘Defensive-Minded Leader’

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his contract, and even though the Cowboys are riding high on a Week 4 win over rivals the New York Giants, there’s still talk about who could be a McCarthy replacement if Jerry Jones thinks it’s time for a change. While Bill Belichick’s name has been at the top of the tongues of some NFL analysts, a new possibility is emerging, and this guy is winning with defense.

Brian Flores is ‘One of the Hottest Coordinators’

In a September 26 feature for Sporting News, Bill Bender discusses some coaching candidates to take McCarthy’s place with the Cowboys. One of the more interesting ones is Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings‘ defensive coordinator. The Vikings are 4-0 going into Week 5, and their stellar record is putting Flores in the spotlight.

“Flores was with the Steelers in 2022 and has emerged as one of the hottest coordinators for his work with the Vikings this season,” Bender noted. Elsewhere, he noted, “It could work with Dallas if Jones wants a defensive-minded leader.”

Other NFL analysts are also noting Flores’ attention, with ESPN NFL reporter Dan Graziano saying he’s “the buzziest” name among coordinators hoping to become a head coach after this season.

“On performance alone, he’s unassailable,” Graziano wrote. “The Vikings have allowed a total of 30 points this season to the Giants, 49ers and Texans, and Flores is drawing raves for the way he disguises pressures and confuses quarterbacks. It started last season in Minnesota, but the players are executing it at a much higher level in Year 2 of the system.”

Graziano added, “The question with Flores as a head-coaching candidate is, of course, that he still has a pending lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in the league’s hiring practices.”

Flores gets more praise in a September 29 feature in Vikings Territory, where Adam New noted that following the Vikings’ win over the Texans in Week 3, “there was talk of the Vikings being one of the best-coached teams in the league, of O’Connell and Flores being the best offensive and defensive play-caller duo in the league, and even of Flores’ stock rising in league circles that another chance at a head coaching gig could be on the horizon.”

Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos is Another Option

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton served as an offensive assistant for the Cowboys from 2003 to 2005, so he has some history with the team.

“Payton is a consistent winner with a .617 winning percentage between stints with New Orleans, where he won Super Bowl XLIV, and Denver, where he is working with first-round pick Bo Nix,” Bender wrote. “A move like this would likely require trading draft picks given Payton seems to have Denver on the right path. Would Jones and Payton work out? Jones has been outward in his praise for Payton, and if the timing is right, it would be worth it.”

Other candidates from the NFL Bender talks up include Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, but he notes the latter is more of a “longshot given the other candidates on this list.” He also names some college options in USC coach Lincoln Riley and Georgia coach Kirby Smart.