6 days ago
Cowboys well-rounded coaching staff means opportunistic rushing attack
The Dallas Cowboys want to rush the ball more in 2025. The question these days is how exactly they plan on doing so. Newly minted head coach Brian Schottenheimer has a history of inside zone, and with the investments made in the Cowboys interior offensive line, one could reasonably assume it will be a major part of the future.
New offensive coordinator Klayton Adams brings inside zone schemes to table as well. His time running the Arizona Cardinals offensive line shows he employs a more balanced variety of blocking schemes on his offense, but inside zone leads the pack.
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Conor Riley, the Cowboys' new offensive line coach, is in a similar vein to Adams. Riley leans on inside zone most, but also uses his fair share of other schemes to round out his attack. It's worth noting Adams and Riley both use less outside zone than Dallas ran last season, and both run high degrees of pulling and counter plays.
This well-rounded offensive coaching staff has laid enough breadcrumbs over the years to give a fairly solid indication as to what to expect from the Cowboys ground game in 2025. They like big personnel packages like 12 and 13 personnel (2TE and 3TE packages) and they like athletic linemen who can move. Most importantly they appear to like diversity in their play calling.
Their familiarity with various running concepts make them more adaptable than most. If the Cowboys' young offensive line is better in some concepts than they are others, Schottenheimer, Adams and Riley are able to adapt to play to the strengths of the line.
It just so happens the Cowboys running back room also supports such adaptability. Consisting of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, Jayden Blue, Phil Mafah, Hunter Luepke and Deuce Vaughn, there is no clear RB1 the scheme must fit. Who gets the carries in 2025 could come down to which RB best matches the Cowboys' best blocking scheme.
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In general, NFL offenses are all fairly diverse in their run blocking schemes. It's important to mix it up to keep defenses playing honest. But the Cowboys' specific trinity of coaches indicate their rushing attack is particularly diverse and particularly focused on developing and discovering the strengths of their linemen. It explains the modest investment in the RB position this offseason and explains why Tyler Booker was the first draft pick they made in April.
The Cowboys invested heavily in offensive line-focused coaches this offseason and it should pay off in efficiency and resiliency.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys well-rounded coaching staff means opportunistic rushing attack
