There’s no evidence yet that Brian Schottenheimer is a good head coach. At least not my the measuring stick that is used in every conceivable situation. A head coach exists on the basis of his wins and losses, and Schottenheimer is a 7-9 head coach at the moment. At the moment, he’s the guy who was interviewing to keep his job as Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator and convinced the bad-decision-making Jerry Jones to give him the reins of the whole thing.
So it’s no surprise that in CBS Sports’ Top 10 head coaches entering 2026, Schottenheimer’s name is nowhere to be found. Not in the Top 10, or in the infamous “Others receiving votes” category that makes readers say, well why didn’t you just call it a Top 15?” But in that group sits a name who is very much connected to the Dallas situation; Schottenheimer’s predecessor Mike McCarthy.
While Schottenheimer was finally getting his opportunity to be a head coach, McCarthy was taking a gap year after seeing his contract with the Cowboys expire. Now, he’s the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and earned a few votes based on his Super Bowl win in 2010 and the middle seasons of his five-year run with Dallas.
McCarthy turned the corner for the Cowboys and had them winning 12 games three seasons in a row. For the first time since their glory days, the Cowboys were consistent winners… in the regular season. Postseason success eluded McCarthy just like it has all of the coaches before him since the days of Barry Switzer.
But that victory 16 seasons ago carries a lot of weight in the eyes of fams and media, certainly much more than his 7-9 final season when the front office refused to augment the roster with any free agents.
Perhaps now that the front office has spent some for Schottenheimer, both in financial and draft capital with trades for George Pickens and Quinnen Williams, then paying them a combined $51 million in cash this year, he’ll be able to make his name resonate around the league.
Here was CBS’ top 10 head coaches heading into 2026:
Also receiving votes …
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Former Cowboys HC outranks current Cowboys HC in CBS Sports’ Top 10
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire | USA TODAY Network
