Kellen Moore to call plays as Cowboys plan ‘to capitalize on what has been established’
Weeks of speculation about former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore’s job status with the Dallas Cowboys appear to have come to an end.
New Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy met with the media Thursday and announced that Moore will call the offensive plays in 2020, according to reports from the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Cowboys hired Moore as their quarterbacks coach in 2018 before promoting him to offensive coordinator in January 2019.
According to the Dallas Morning News’ Micheal Gehlken, McCarthy also plans to keep the same terminology the offense used in 2019. Per Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins, McCarthy plans to “Keep the language the same” and he is “confident Kellen can still be the play caller.”
In Moore’s first season as the play caller, the Cowboys offense ranked No. 1 in the NFL in total offense (431.5 yards per game), No. 2 with 296.9 passing yards per game and No. 5 with 134.6 rushing yards. Quarterback Dak Prescott posted career highs in passing yards (4,902) and touchdown passes (30).
Reports made it pretty clear over the past few days that Moore was going to remain in Dallas rather than pursue potential opportunities elsewhere, but there was uncertainty if McCarthy would be willing to give up control of the play calls. He called the plays during the majority of his 13-year career in Green Bay, and he was quoted in a Sports Illustrated story on Monday as saying “I love calling plays.”
But per Watkins, McCarthy said he was watching Moore from afar last season, and fellow Dallas Morning News writer David Moore reported McCarthy was so impressed with Moore during his year away from the game that he would have pursued him as his offensive coordinator even if he hadn’t landed with the Cowboys.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, McCarthy wants to disrupt what the Cowboys had rolling on offense last season as little as possible.
“I wanted to make sure we were able to capitalize on what has been established here,” McCarthy said. “Between us we can take this offense forward another step.”
As the starting quarterback at Boise State from 2008 to 2011, Moore went 50-3 and owns the all-time record for wins by a Division I quarterback. As a junior in 2010, he finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 5:29 PM.
