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Kellen Moore will not go to Carolina, but his future in Dallas is uncertain

This week, the Cowboys have dedicated themselves to evaluating the continuity of various elements of their coaching staff as far as assistants are concerned. During this process, the team received the good news that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was retained for the 2023 season. However, the future of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore remains up in the air.

Let’s remember that both coaches have been on the radar of teams looking for a new head coach for next season. However, while Quinn was a strong candidate for three teams, Moore was a strong candidate for only one: the Carolina Panthers. And this team made a decision this Thursday.

According to reports, the Panthers decided to hire Frank Reich as head coach, who held that position with the Indianapolis Colts until last November. Although Kellen Moore and interim head coach Steve Wilks impressed in their interviews, Carolina’s team settled on the former Indy coach.

This, automatically, implied that Moore was going to continue as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. However, this does not appear to be the case.

On Thursday afternoon, head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the media at his season-ending press conference. In it, the head coach announced the continuity of Dan Quinn in the Dallas coaching staff. However, regarding Kellen Moore, he indicated that this remains to be evaluated.

“It’s been a long couple of days”McCarthy said. “So Kellen Moore, like the other coaches, will be evaluated. Each coach will be evaluated, and those evaluations take more than one day.”

It is worth noting that this week has been an event in relation to the Cowboys coaching staff, especially in the assistant section. The team has been evaluating their continuity, with an emphasis on those whose contracts expired this week. In fact, Dallas has already confirmed that six assistants will not be renewed. Among them are:

  • Rob Davis – assistant head coach
  • George Edwards – Senior Defensive Assistant
  • Leon Lett – assistant defensive line
  • Skip Peete – runner coach
  • Joe Philbin – offensive line coach
  • Kyle Valero – QA Analyst

It’s worth mentioning that, aside from Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn, Kellen Moore is one of the Cowboys’ coaches whose contract is still active. These trainers also include:

  • John Fassel – special teams coordinator
  • Joe Whitt Jr. – passing game coordinator
  • Al Harris – defensive backs coach
  • Jeff Blasko – offensive line assistant
  • Robert Prince – receiving coach
  • Rayna Stewart – special teams assistant
  • Harold Nash – physical strength assistant
  • Lunda Wells – tight ends coach
  • Aden Durde – defensive line coach

Initially, it was thought that the evaluation process would only be for coaches with expired contracts. However, it appears that the process is applying to the entire coaching staff except for Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn. And this raises more doubts regarding the continuity of Kellen Moore.

If he continues, Moore would have his fifth season as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. During this tenure, the former Boise State player has had periods in which his unit has been among the best offenses in the NFL. However, the team’s offensive irregularity during the 2022 season has put it in the spotlight.

It remains to be seen then what finally happens with Kellen Moore. With the Panthers signing Frank Reich, there are no more NFL teams interested in his services. So it’s up to Mike McCarthy and the team’s leadership to decide if Moore will continue in office. Or, if the search for a new offensive coordinator will begin.

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