Sunday was Dallas Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones' 82nd birthday. The Detroit Lions came to town and did something not-so nice on his proverbial birthday cake, with a 47-9 domination of his team. A midseason coaching change may not be imminent, but Cowboys' head coach Mike McCarthy is firmly on the hot seat and he will almost surely be replaced after the season.
Jones has called this an all-in season in Dallas. While he didn't show it with outside additions this offseason, he did show it by letting McCarthy play out the final year of his contract.
If Jones is mulling over who he might want to replace McCarthy in 2025, a candidate fell right into his lap in Week 6 and put on a display of offensive play-calling that no one calling plays for the Cowboys has had in a long time.
The Lions' offense put up 492 total yards on Sunday, as Johnson went all the way from basics to odd formations and trick plays in an effort to embarrass the Cowboys. Two of the three drives they didn't score on were a kneel-down at the end of the first half and the final drive of the game with backups in. The other was a turnover on downs in Cowboys' territory in the fourth quarter, when a long field goal attempt could have given them 50 points.
"Yesterday was @lions OC Ben Johnson's Picasso. Nationally televised game. The Vikings and Chiefs off and watching at home. I'd say he emptied the bag, but I think it's bottomless. The playbook is that extensive."
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) October 14, 2024
- @PSchrags | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/cvtpz05R4r
Ben Johnson showed Jerry Jones his top option to replace Mike McCarthy
When Johnson decided to take himself out of consideration for head coaching jobs for the second year in row in this year's hiring cycle, it was easy to point to the Cowboys as a potential job opening for him in 2025. It's since become clearer that McCarthy will be gone after the season, barring a major turnaround when the Cowboys come out of their Week 7 bye.
Greatly appealing or otherwise, Johnson will surely have multiple teams interested in him as a head coach candidate after the season. The extent to which he entertains those opportunities is uncertain. But it's also fair to think he won't voluntarily remove himself from the hiring cycle three times in a row.
Expectations are naturally high in Dallas, and Jones loves to take credit for whatever success is had. So there are good reasons Johnson might not want the Cowboys' job. But Jones should pursue him to the fullest extent when he starts the inevitable coaching search, with the embarrassment Johnson just orchestrated in "Jerry World" firmly in memory.