Cowboys Shock the NFL World: Dallas Considering Twice-Fired Coach for OC Role in Most Controversial Move of the Offseason
The Cowboys caused quite a stir when they announced the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as the 10th head coach in the franchise’s history. Since then, though, their initial assembly of a coaching staff to serve under the first-time head coach has drawn widespread praise and even optimism within Cowboys Nation.
The latest name to surface in the offensive coordinator search, however, is not being received quite so well.
The Cowboys are considering former Browns OC Ken Dorsey to serve the same role in Dallas, according to a report Thursday from ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler. While an interview has yet to be scheduled at the time of this writing, the two sides are said to be discussing the logistics of a meeting.
Dorsey, 43, was fired in Cleveland after one season in which the Browns went 3-14 and averaged a league-worst 15.2 points per game. The offense also finished in the bottom five in yards per game, yards per play, plays per drive, time of possession, third-down conversions, and red zone TD percentage.
Those numbers represented a significant dropoff from the previous season, when the team ended 11-6 and made the playoffs under OC Alex Van Pelt.
Prior to Cleveland, Dorsey had been with the Bills for five seasons, working his way up from quarterbacks coach to passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator for his last two years in Buffalo. Though Josh Allen and the Bills won AFC East titles in both of those seasons, Dorsey was not there for all of it; he was fired 10 games into the 2023 campaign due to offensive struggles.
The California native went memorably viral early in the 2022 season for a meltdown in the coach’s box during a last-second loss to the Dolphins.
Dorsey’s first NFL coaching job was as Carolina’s QB coach from 2013 to 2017.
Apart from his booth tantrum while with Buffalo, Dorsey is likely best remembered as the winningest quarterback in Miami Hurricanes history, a national champion with the 2001 squad, a two-time Quarterback of the Year, and holder of most of the school’s passing records.
A seventh-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2003, his pro career was far less stellar. He played in 11 games over two seasons in San Francisco and then made just five more appearances with the Browns, compiling a 2-11 record in 13 NFL starts. He threw for just over 2,000 yards total and amassed eight touchdowns and 18 interceptions before moving to the CFL as a backup for one last season in 2010.
