Cowboys give Mike McCarthy big vote of confidence, whereas Kellen Moore’s standing is rather more murky

Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy met this week to debate the Dallas Cowboys’ future.

Jones, the staff proprietor, didn’t merely specific confidence in head coach McCarthy’s skill to win in 2023. Jones summoned the identify of Cowboys Corridor of Fame coach Tom Landry in expressing his want to staff up with McCarthy for years to return.

“So far as my relationship with Jerry, simply utilizing his phrases, we’re in a great spot,” McCarthy stated Thursday in an end-of-season press convention. “The partnership that we’ve got, he is enthusiastic about. He advised me various occasions this week that he desires me to teach right here so long as Coach Landry did.

“And I stated, ‘OK, that is a very long time.’”

Landry coached the Cowboys for 29 years.

Hyperbole and jest apart, McCarthy indicated Jones’ imaginative and prescient for his fast future is evident.

The pinnacle coach wasn’t prepared to present an identical public vote of confidence to his offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore.

Moore interviewed with the Carolina Panthers this week for a head-coaching emptiness the franchise ultimately hired Frank Reich for on Thursday.

Moore’s most-publicized potential different touchdown spot was off the desk earlier than McCarthy took the rostrum. So if Moore is obtainable, will he be the Cowboys’ coordinator subsequent season?

“My analysis course of remains to be happening,” McCarthy stated. “I actually don’t wish to play this recreation as we speak. It’s been an extended couple of days. Kellen Moore, identical to the remainder of the coaches, can be evaluated. Each coach can be evaluated. The analysis, it takes greater than someday.

“We’ll proceed to speak and I’m hopeful to get along with Kellen as early as tomorrow.”

Six assistants let go

Moore was not among the many first wave of Cowboys coaches whose contracts weren’t renewed.

Working backs coach Skip Peete, offensive line coach Joe Philbin and high quality management analytics coach Kyle Valero won’t rejoin the staff’s offensive workers. Senior defensive assistant George Edwards, assistant defensive position coach Leon Lett and assistant head coach Rob Davis have been additionally not retained.

McCarthy announced those changes in an announcement Friday earlier than publicly addressing them as effectively. He stated selections have been as a lot philosophical in regards to the design and composition of his workers as they have been tied to particular person performances. Clarifying roles for 2023 can be a precedence.

Might McCarthy return to the play-calling duties he held as Inexperienced Bay Packers head coach in a shake-up?

“Wonderful creativity on asking me the query that I’ve already answered,” McCarthy stated. “Simply get began within the analysis. I am not calling performs this week. I believe we clearly had issues located the place I used to be very assured in how the offense wouldn’t solely be referred to as however the recreation plans have been being constructed and so forth. I get the consequence, and it is due to the consequence that I’ve to reply these questions. Each coach, together with myself, is being evaluated.”

Learn how to repair Dak Prescott’s current struggles

The No. 1 query for the Cowboys offense is how one can eradicate turnovers, significantly the league-leading interception depend that quarterback Dak Prescott posted in his seventh season. Prescott was inconsistent within the marketing campaign, together with within the postseason. His regular-season finale generated a measly 45.8 passing effectivity score; his spectacular five-touchdown, no-error efficiency in a wild-card win over the Buccaneers jumped to a near-perfect 143.3 score.

Then, two pricey interceptions and futile game-on-the-line drives returned him to a 63.6 outing in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday within the divisional spherical.

The Cowboys should decide the keys to Prescott’s effectivity, from the consistency in his footwork and mechanics to the arrogance with which he diagnoses coverages and aligns reads together with his weapons.

McCarthy talked about Prescott’s manufacturing and video games with 70+ completion proportion as offsetting elements to his interceptions. Prescott accomplished no less than 70% of his passes in eight of 16 (50%) video games final yr; he accomplished no less than 70% in eight of 14 (57%) this yr.

The Cowboys ranked fourth in scoring this season, a quantity aided extra from the 12 regular-season video games Prescott competed in than the 5 he missed whereas rehabilitating a Week 1 thumb fracture.

The Cowboys know they should higher bolster Prescott’s receiving corps after a season by which CeeDee Lamb emerged as a real No. 1 choice, however the Cowboys obtained below-expectation contributions from third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert in addition to veteran Michael Gallup, who was lower than a yr faraway from an ACL tear.

“I believe while you take a step again and take the emotion out of how our season ended, there’s an unimaginable quantity of productiveness there,” McCarthy stated. “The completions, the selections. Turnovers are clearly the large detrimental there. … We will certainly proceed to attempt to evolve our offense. There’s no query.

“Let’s not be blind to the truth that this has been an especially efficient, productive offense the final two years.”

On the defensive facet of the ball, the Cowboys are in nice form. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn decided Thursday he will return for a third season in Dallas regardless of head-coaching interviews from three franchises. Dallas led the league in takeaways for a second straight yr and improved from seventh in scoring protection to fourth.

The Cowboys’ protection arguably carried out sufficiently within the divisional spherical recreation to advance, whereas the offense sputtered.

McCarthy is aware of he and his workers haven’t but reached the postseason normal anticipated. The coach Jones in contrast him to received Dallas two Tremendous Bowls. McCarthy received a championship in Inexperienced Bay, however has but to ship the last word prize in Dallas.

He is aware of. And he desires to followers to know he is aware of.

“We’re all simply as dissatisfied as our followers,” McCarthy stated. “However I am going to inform you this: From the second I walked off the sphere, I used to be beginning to consider modifications to regulate and emphasize.

“Please trust and clear understanding that we will do the whole lot we have to do to get this trophy.”

Comply with Yahoo Sports activities’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein