Harsh rankings and premature judgments overlook Schottenheimer’s offensive pedigree. As critics fixate on early growing pains, the Cowboys coach aims to prove his critics wrong and climb the ranks.
Expectations in Dallas don’t come with patience. Every decision is dissected, every result magnified, and every leader judged long before the full picture has time to develop.
That reality makes any evaluation of the Dallas Cowboys head coach a lightning rod—and the latest ranking of Brian Schottenheimer is no exception.
A recent NBC Sports list slotted Schottenheimer at No. 21 among NFL head coaches entering the 2026 season, a placement that feels more rooted in reputation than reality. While it’s fair to question a coach still early in his tenure, dropping him into the bottom third of the league definitely feels like a bit much.
The rip job: “Schottenheimer exceeded expectations only because there weren’t any. A team that used to dream of Super Bowls now seems content to break parking and concessions records.”
And you can't even say NBC Sports ranked him that low because it was his first season as the head coach of the Cowboys, because they have Kellen Moore of the Saints above him at No. 18.
Moore finished his first season as New Orleans' head coach with a 6-11 record, which is worse than the 7-9-1 that Dallas put up.
Schottenheimer didn’t arrive in this role unprepared. Long before becoming the Cowboys’ head coach, he spent years shaping offenses across the league, earning a reputation for designing productive, adaptable systems. That background showed up during his time as offensive coordinator, when Dallas consistently fielded one of the more efficient and dangerous units in football.
America's Team's record is an easy number to point to, but it doesn’t tell the entire story. Transitioning into a head coaching role comes with challenges beyond play-calling, from managing game situations to setting the tone for an entire locker room.
Add in the natural growing pains that come with change, and the results become more understandable—even if they’re not acceptable by Dallas standards.
Ranking Schottenheimer at No. 21 assumes a level of stagnation that hasn’t necessarily been proven. It treats his early struggles as a ceiling rather than part of a process. For a coach with his background, that feels premature.
If Dallas takes the expected step forward this season, this conversation will shift quickly. And if it does, Schottenheimer won’t just climb rankings—he’ll reshape how he’s viewed across the league.