Mike McCarthy to take over playcalling duties as Cowboys part with Kellen Moore

As the Dallas Cowboys will move on without offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, coach Mike McCarthy will take over playcalling duties. The Cowboys made the surprise announcement that they would be looking for a new offensive coordinator just one week after they were eliminated from the playoffs — and a new report indicates that McCarthy will call plays next season instead of his coordinator.

Mike McCarthy takes over playcalling duties

“Mike McCarthy to call plays as Cowboys part ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore,” explained Dallas Morning News‘ David Moore.

Although the team gave no indication who would be taking over as the new offensive coordinator, the reveal that McCarthy was assuming the new role seems to indicate that McCarthy believes his performance as a play caller could be the push Dallas needs to reach a Super Bowl season.

The split between the Cowboys and Moore was a mutual agreement between both parties, according to the initial reports. He’s one of the brightest young offensive minds in the National Football League, but Dallas felt a change was needed after their disappointing finish in the 2023 NFL Playoffs.

More specifically, Kellen Moore and Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy received a lot of heat for their bizarre final play-call against the San Francisco 49ers in the 2023 NFL Playoffs, in which they lined up running back Ezekiel Elliott at center. Elliott was steamrolled on the play, and the Cowboys didn’t get very far before the game was over and the 49ers won 19-12. It was yet another devastating dose of heartbreak for Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones.

Since Moore took over as offensive coordinator in Dallas, the Cowboys offense has been a top-six scoring team in three of his four seasons. Dallas also led the league in offensive yards gained in two of those seasons, establishing themselves as a threat in the NFL.