The Dallas Cowboys have made the decision to move on from Jason Garrett and he will not be back with the franchise in any capacity for the 2020 season.
In his nine full seasons as the head coach, Garrett owned a record of 80-64. During his tenure, Dallas made the playoffs only three times and won two games.
The Cowboys were unable to advance beyond the NFC Divisional Round under Garrett. Therefore, it's best for the Cowboys to go in another direction in hopes to revert back to being a contender in the NFC.
With that being said, who are the five best replacements for Garrett as head coach of the Cowboys?
5. Matt Rhule
Every season that the list of coaching candidates emerge, there are usually a couple of college coaches involved. For the second straight season, Matt Rhule has had his name discussed as a possible coach who makes the leap from college to the NFL.
Last year, Rhule was considered to be a front-runner for the head coaching job of the New York Jets. Of course, New York chose to hire Adam Gase instead and Rhule returned to Baylor for another season.
Rhule has spent the past three years as the head coach at Baylor and has turned them into a notable program in college. The Cowboys could make sense as the franchise who gives Rhule his first opportunity in the NFL.
4. Mike McCarthy
Following a year off from the NFL, Mike McCarthy is attempting to make a comeback to coaching in 2020. McCarthy is one of the most accomplished candidates that will be available for teams this offseason.
As the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, McCarthy went 125-77-2 in his 13 seasons with the organization. Above all, McCarthy was able to lead the Packers to a Super Bowl in 2010.
Dallas would absolutely be enticed to hire a head coach who has experience with winning a Super Bowl. At the same time, it remains to be seen if McCarthy has made any adjustments to his offensive system while he was away from football.
3. Don Martindale
As good as the Baltimore Ravens have been on offense, their defense has been remarkable. One of the main reasons why the defense is playing well is because of Don Martindale—Baltimore's defensive coordinator since 2018.
The Cowboys had a noticeable drop on defense in 2019 and could use a defensive mind to fix the issues. Upon deciding to hire Martindale, Dallas would need to give him a proven offensive coordinator to trust the offense with.
If the Cowboys are interested in a defense-oriented coach, Martindale is arguably the best option at head coach.
2. Robert Saleh
Besides Martindale, Robert Saleh has emerged as a defensive coordinator that could be promoted to a head coach in 2020. Over the past few years, Saleh has helped turn the San Francisco 49ers into a defensive juggernaut.
The 49ers finished the regular season with the No. 1 ranked pass defense and the No. 2 ranked overall defense in the NFL. There's no doubt that Saleh played a vital role in San Francisco's success in 2019.
While the 49ers are winning games, Saleh brings energy to the defense with his coaching style. The Cowboys could absolutely use an energetic head coach that can win over the locker room immediately.
1. Josh McDaniels
The list of coaching candidates for 2020 involves a few experienced coaches who may be interested in becoming a head coach again. Undoubtedly, one of the most popular names on the radar for teams will be Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels' only experience as a head coach came in 2009-2010 when he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos. The offensive-centric coach went 11-17 with the Broncos before being fired in his second season with the job.
Given that, it has been 10 years since McDaniels was a head coach in the NFL and has learned more under Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots since then. In addition, Jerry Jones has said he regrets not hiring Belichick in the 1990s and could hire one of his assistants to aid Dallas in their efforts to return to winning football games.
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