Cowboys News: Coaching staff taking shape at Pro Bowl, Cole Beasley creates a buzz

Why Jerry Jones believes the Cowboys can improve their offense from within - Kate Hairopoulos, SportsDay
It is clear that getting the right people for the offensive coaching staff is more important to the Cowboys' brain trust than titles.

The formula for how it all works minus Linehan and the titles the coaches will carry are still under discussion. Jones likes the "flexibility" of the staff. The structure will likely be the topic of conversation when Jones takes the staff and honored players out to dinner Wednesday night at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, and in the days to come.

"There's a lot of great possibilities," Jones said. "I feel really good. I don't feel in a hurry about anything."

Would one idea include Garrett resuming control of play-calling?

"It could be more, or less," Jones said of Garrett's involvement in the offense. "Either way. But I'm comfortable with Jason Garrett."

Pro Bowl Notebook: Kitna Makes First Practice - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
He may not have a job title yet, but Jon Kitna definitely has a job with Dallas.

Former Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna is already working with the coaching staff from Orlando. While the team has yet to officially announce his exact position, it has been speculated that Kitna would coach the quarterbacks, the position he played in the NFL for 16 years, including two full seasons with the Cowboys.

However, Kellen Moore is the current QB coach although he is one of the candidates to become either offensive coordinator passing game coordinator.

Kellen Moore on staff changes, Cowboys' new offense: 'We're heading in the right direction' - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Machota offers an inside view of what's going on at the Pro Bowl practices in terms of Cowboys coaching staff.

Jon Kitna, Kellen Moore and Doug Nussmeier walked together onto the NFC's Pro Bowl practice field Wednesday morning at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Each was wearing an outfit that matched the rest of the Cowboys' staff, who is coaching in the game for the third time in the last five years.

Moore, the team's first-year quarterbacks coach last season, was in charge of installing the offense during practice. Kitna, the most recent addition, worked with the quarterbacks. Nussmeier was focused on the tight ends.

So it's clear now, right? Moore will be Dallas' offensive coordinator, Kitna will take over the quarterback room and Nussmeier will coach tight ends for the second consecutive season.

Not exactly.

The Cowboys continue to be vague about the direction they're heading now that they have parted ways with Scott Linehan, offensive coordinator and play-caller for the last five seasons.

Here’s the biggest thing Kellen Moore would bring to the table as Cowboys offensive coordinator - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Machota answered questions in a recent chat, here’s one about Moore.

Q: Why do you think the Cowboys are regarding Kellen Moore as one of their frontrunners for offensive coordinator?

Machota: I think it has a lot to do with what they’ve seen on a daily basis behind the scenes since he arrived in 2015. Fans don’t get to see the brilliant offensive mind that players, coaches and former teammates talk about. They see a quiet guy on the sidelines who didn’t have big-time success as an NFL player, so they wonder what Dak Prescott could possibly learn from him. I’ve heard fans say that he needs to be more animated and get in Dak’s face. But that’s not his style. That is Kris Richard’s style. And fans love that. Because it’s something they can see. Richard isn’t being considered for head coaching jobs because he gets animated at times. It’s because he’s a good coach. The Cowboys believe Kellen Moore can be a good coach, too. I think the biggest thing he would bring as OC is some unpredictability. The Cowboys’ 2018 staff had Jason Garrett, Scott Linehan and Rod Marinelli in their top positions. All three have been in the NFL for a long time and all three have strong convictions. They’ve seen their styles work for decades. But that also means decades of trends are out there for opponents to study. With Moore, no one knows what his offensive philosophy is, so it will be much more difficult to predict what the offense will do in certain situations. But Garrett will also have to be willing to adapt to some of those new ideas. I believe Marinelli’s willingness to allow Richard to have added influence was a positive for the Cowboys’ defense this season. Maybe Moore can do the same for the offense.

Give Cowboys' Jason Garrett a fighter's chance, let him call plays - Todd Archer, Dallas Cowboys Blog- ESPN
In this look at how the duties might shake out with the offensive staff in Dallas is an interesting tidbit about Kellen Moore, whom many fans are not impressed by.

Moore, who was the quarterbacks coach in 2018 after spending three seasons on the Cowboys’ roster, has long been considered a future coach, and multiple sources said a couple of teams approached the Cowboys about interviewing Moore and were denied. He has a tight relationship with Prescott, who trusts him implicitly.

Cole Beasley says Dallas Cowboys front office 'pushes who they want to get the ball to' - ESPN Staff
Cole Beasley has been talking about being underutilized or overlooked in the offense.

"Honestly, the front office pushes who they want to get the ball to," Beasley said while responding to a comment about the Cowboys' decision to fire offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. "I haven't been a huge priority in that regard. Maybe that will change but I'm not sure. More balls come my way in 2 minute drill where nothing is planned."

Jones responds to Cole Beasley's WR target claim - Kevin Patra, NFL.com
Beasley's comments quickly elicited a response from the Dallas front office.

Ahead of hitting the free-agent market, Dallas Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley suggested the team's front office dictates where passes are thrown. On Wednesday, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones brushed aside that notion during an appearance on the The Rich Eisen Show.

"I would hope that's just his frustration but certainly not at all the case," Jones said. "We don't get involved in that. The only thing we ever do is decide if we're going to pay players a lot of money. Or if we're going to trade for players and give up big picks. We certainly hope that they would be involved if we're going to do things like that; that there's a reason that we're doing it they're going to be involved.

"But we would never dictate where balls go or things of that nature. In terms of the game plan and getting involved with what our coaching does to get ready to play the ball game. And certainly of all people, Cole is always involved in getting balls and getting catches. He's been just an integral part of what we're about. Certainly, he's made a lot of big catches and key catches in games that we've won."

Perhaps Beasley's comments will make the Jones family consider giving someone else big(ger) bucks this offseason.

Amari Cooper says trade makes Pro Bowl special - Clarence Hill, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Getting added for the Pro Bowl just caps off what has evidently been a great experience for Amari Cooper since being traded to the Cowboys.

“It’s very special in that way that you described,” Cooper said. “Not many people have switched teams in the middle of the season and reached 1,000 yards or been able to make it to the Pro Bowl. It’s really special.”

Cooper caught 22 passes for 281 yards and one touchdown with the Raiders before exploding for 53 catches for 725 yards and six touchdowns after being traded to the Cowboys.

He enjoyed playing football again. It’s a little wonder the supposedly quiet Cooper was one of the last players on the practice field Wednesday during interviews an hour after practice ended.

“It was a lot of fun,” Cooper said. “I had fun doing it. I had fun with my teammates with my new team. It was a very smooth transition. That’s how I would describe it. It was just fun. The love of the game, playing football, it was everything you could imagine as a football player.”

The Marinelli Report: Closing the book on 2018, with optimism for the days to come – Bob Sturm, The Athletic
The Cowboys defense started off very strong, then seemed to fade down the stretch. This article looks at why that might have happened, but includes a positive outlook.

I might be stretching here, but as I look at the Cowboys’ 2018 defense and try to make it even better next season, I would continue to fortify the defensive line with the talent to stand up to the run and keep the linebackers clean to do their jobs. I would continue acquiring players who can get to the quarterback. Further, the safety position remains a concern for me as explosives went up and takeaways went down. The Cowboys’ corners will continue to need support in this scheme. And while Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods are both decent, “decent” is not good enough if you are trying to build an elite unit.

In other words, I am impressed by the youth and talent on this defense, but I think you can use more talent at every single level of this group. The competition should be open for many of the starting jobs.

5 potential Cowboys NFL draft targets who are improving their stock at the Senior Bowl - John Owning, SportsDay
The Senior Bowl practices are underway, and here are five names to watch when the Cowboys are on the clock in the NFL draft, including a personal (gig 'em) favorite of mine.

Daylon Mack, NT, Texas A&M

If the Cowboys opt to continue their strategy of waiting until the later rounds to invest in a nose tackle, Texas A&M's Daylon Mack is as good of a choice as any.

Measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 327 pounds during the Senior Bowl weigh-ins, Mack is a stout player who is able to generate incredible force at the point of attack.

As a pass rusher, Mack is primarily a power rusher who uses his powerful lower body and deliberate hands to collapse the pocket with bull rushes (just ask Alabama center Ross Pierschbacher).