The Dallas Cowboys future is all sorts of murky as they head into the upcoming offseason. After being upset in the Wild Card round on Sunday by the Green Bay Packers, suffering an embarrassing 48-32 loss, all cards are on the table for the Cowboys. That includes head coach Mike McCarthy, who could very well end up getting fired by Jerry Jones in the coming days.
McCarthy has never seemed to be totally safe during his four seasons with the Cowboys, but he led Dallas to the two seed in the NFC after they beat out the Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East. That didn't help them overcome their postseason struggles, though, as McCarthy and the Cowboys flamed out of the postseason earlier than expected once again, raising questions about whether or not he's the right guy to lead this team.
Dallas' front office has a difficult decision on McCarthy's future, but they are going to have to have some sort of replacement plan lined up if they do intend on moving on from him. So if McCarthy does get the ax from Jones, let's take a look at the top three replacements the Cowboys could target in an effort to improve their team moving forward.
Mike Vrabel
One guy who was already fired this offseason was Mike Vrabel, whom the Tennessee Titans decided to move on from last week. Vrabel enjoyed a strong six-season stint with the Titans, but the train went off the rails the past two seasons, as Vrabel's team went from being at the top of the AFC South to missing out on the playoffs in both campaigns.
Prior to the Titans struggles over the past two seasons, which was largely due to the front office gutting Vrabel's roster, the former star linebacker turned Tennessee into an unexpected title contender. Vrabel leaned on a top-tier defense, and explosive playmakers in Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown, to power the Titans to wins, and at their peak, they were one of the best teams in the league.
Vrabel's blend of hard-nosed coaching and relatability to players has made him one of the most sought after names on the market, and he could surely help shore up a defense that just got torched by the Packers with their season on the line. The big concern with Vrabel is his postseason record (2-3 over his three total trips), but with a more talented Dallas roster, it feels like the sky would be the limit for the former Titans leader.
Bill Belichick
This is the big one. After a historic 24-season run with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick and the team mutually agreed to part ways, and all signs point to Belichick continuing to coach with another team in the NFL. Why not the Cowboys? They could certainly use a guy with the postseason acumen that Belichick has considering how long they have struggled once the calendar flips to January.
The Patriots are a mess, and while Belichick played a big role in putting them in their current situation, as a coach, he's still one of the best football minds in the game. Belichick somehow turned a defense that lost it's best two players in Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez in Week 4 into one of the top units in the league, and while the offense was horrid, there's no doubt he could put together a winning game plan with superstar playmakers such as CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard at his disposal.
The big question mark with Belichick here would revolve around his desire to run the front office as Dallas' new general manager too. This is a role Jones has held since he bought the team back in 1989, and Belichick's player evaluation has declined over the past few years. Would either one of these guys be willing to give up the role for the other? From a coaching perspective, Belichick would be a home run, but there are a lot of other moving pieces that would need to be considered here.
Jim Harbaugh
If it weren't for Belichick, the biggest name on the head coaching market would be Jim Harbaugh. After leading the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship, Harbaugh seems to be open to making the jump back to the NFL, as he is interviewing for the Los Angeles Chargers vacant head coach spot. While he could still opt to defect back to the Wolverines, the Cowboys would be foolish to not take a look at Harbaugh.
Harbaugh has a track record of success as a head coach at both the professional and collegiate level, which is immediately enticing for Dallas. As previously noted, Harbaugh has enjoyed a successful stint with Michigan, and prior to that, he led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance back in 2012. Harbaugh knows how to win on the biggest stages, and that's exactly what the Cowboys need.
The biggest difference between Harbaugh and Belichick is that Harbaugh likely wouldn't be looking for control over the team's roster moves as well, which likely appeals more to Jones, who loves to run the front office in addition to his ownership duties. There will surely be a lot of competition for his services, but an opportunity to coach an already strong Cowboys squad will be appealing, and if Harbaugh does indeed make the jump to the NFL, Dallas should be one of his top suitors.
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