The Dallas Cowboys’ season is (finally) nearing its end -- barring a Week 17 win paired with an Eagles loss -- which means the franchise can finally move on from Jason Garrett and move forward with finding its next head coach.

It is still early in the process -- the season isn’t even over yet -- so obviously a lot of things can change between now and the time Dallas hires a new coach, and since we left our crystal ball at home today, we are going to evaluate potential candidates that best fit the Cowboys’ personnel.

It’s important to reiterate that this isn’t a list of the candidates most likely to be hired, but it is simply a list of coaches who best fit the team’s current personnel.

With that in mind, it’s also important to note that you’ll only see offensive-minded coaches below. Given the money that Dallas has handed out to Ezekiel Elliott, the offensive line, and the huge sums that are likely to be handed out to Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper in the near future, the Cowboys would be wise to build their franchise around the offense.

Moreover, given the league’s trend toward hiring offensive-minded head coaches -- there were eight new head coaches hired last season and only two were defensive-minded (Brian Flores and Vic Fangio) -- it’s much easier for a team with an offensive guru as head coach to retain a hot-shot defensive coordinator than vice-versa.

Continuity between play-caller and quarterback is also extremely important. Hiring an offensive-minded coach is the first step toward finding the right fit for the Cowboys’ current personnel.

Lincoln Riley

Lincoln Riley on game planning, "I want to feel like 80%, at the minimum, of the calls on my call sheet, I'm good with calling no matter what the hell they're in." pic.twitter.com/B0B4Q2rRdY — James Light (@JamesALight) May 5, 2019

If maximizing Prescott is the game, then Lincoln Riley is the name that would best fit the Cowboys’ current personnel as space, pace and a whole lot of RPOs may be exactly what the doctor ordered to maximize this offense.

Who better to design an offense around Prescott than the guy who coaxed Heisman campaigns out of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray in 2017-18 and a Heisman-worthy campaign out of Jalen Hurts in 2019.

Riley’s offense is so cutting edge that almost every NFL team has ventured to Norman, Okla. to pick the brain and absorb the genius of Riley’s offense.

Since being named Oklahoma head coach in 2017, Riley has compiled a record of 36-5 with three College Football Playoff appearances (including this season). Moreover, Riley’s offenses have finished top-five in scoring offense, top-two in total offense and first in yards per play each year. Riley is not one to plod down the field in the name of time-of-possession or wearing down an opponent, he wants to blow by his opponents by scoring as frequently as possible.

The reason being is that Riley is an out-of-box thinker who isn’t beholden to the traditional dogma of NFL offenses. While he does want a large part of his play-sheet to work against any defense (as detailed in the clip above), he’s also a master of designing plays to take advantage of a particular opponent. Riley presents an aura of complexity with a variety of motions, formations and run-pass options, but it’s actually pretty simple.

The fact that Oklahoma was able to sustain that kind of production with three different QBs who have three very different skill sets proves that Riley is adept at molding his cutting-edge scheme to fit his personnel.

In the first chapter of his book breaking down Oklahoma’s 2018 offense, author Noah Riley (no relation) stated:

“Oklahoma’s offense is built around a few core concepts which can be ran in a variety of ways to create mismatches, numbers advantages, and force the defense to prepare against multiple looks. From there, Riley finds creative ways to exploit the defensive tactics designed to counter those core concepts by running plays that uniquely attack the opponent’s specific coverage and run-fit rules.

The Sooners were fairly simple in the fact that they only ran a few core concepts, but they would run each of those concepts with a variety of tags and from a variety of looks, giving the illusion of complexity.”

This is exactly the kind of philosophy that Dallas needs to maximize its offensive output.

This Jet Motion GT Counter from Oklahoma is a thing of beauty!



- Weakside RB kicks out OLB

- Guard wraps for Mike LB

- Tackle wraps for Safety



If you play 2 high Safeties against 2 Backs and a TE, Oklahoma made you pay! pic.twitter.com/zIp1Ksfarc — Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) May 24, 2018

And don’t worry Zeke fans, Riley has done an excellent job of integrating an effective run game into his air raid philosophy.

In fact, since becoming head coach, Oklahoma has run the ball more than they’ve thrown it, per Team Rankings, and have finished top-11 in rushing yards per game the last two seasons. Now, some of that volume and productivity is boosted by the fact that Oklahoma blows so many inferior teams out, which causes them to run the ball often in an attempt to bleed the clock. Still, there’s no question that Elliott and his $90 million contract would be utilized to the fullest in Riley’s offense.

Learning from Oklahoma:

▪️Double Slant Whip

▪️#2 WR runs a Slant; #1 WR runs a slant return/whip route.

▪️Takes advantage of DB’s that start overplaying that Slant. pic.twitter.com/Y2hp2OgLKr — Football Development Coach (@FBDevCoach) May 20, 2019

Moreover, imagine what a route-runner like Cooper could do with the space afforded to him in a Riley-led offense. Cooper’s ability to separate with outstanding route-running would only be boosted by the route concepts designed by Riley.

If the Cowboys truly want to maximize Prescott and the rest of the young talent on Dallas’ offense, there’s no question who the best fit is -- it’s Lincoln Riley.

Eric Bienemy

While plucking a coach off the coaching tree of a Bill Belichick or Sean McVay has seen discouraging results, hiring a top assistant from Andy Reid’s coaching tree has proved prosperous in the past.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is the most notable of the bunch, but two other Reid disciples, Ron Rivera and John Harbaugh, also made the Super Bowl after being hired away from Reid’s staff, and Harbaugh appears ready to vie for another Super Bowl this year in Baltimore.

Enter Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, the latest Reid protégé who appears poised for a productive head coaching career. Bienemy -- who has nine years of NFL experience as a running back throughout the 1990s -- is one of the chief (pun intended) offensive architects in Kansas City.

And that Kansas City offense would be an excellent fit for the Cowboys’ personnel.

Since becoming offensive coordinator in 2018, the Chiefs’ offense has been electric, finishing first in Offense DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) and yards per play (6.7) in 2018 while currently ranked third in each metric this year.

The Chiefs boast one of the most creative and innovative schemes out there, and it would be incredibly beneficial for Dallas to bring over some of that Kansas City offensive voodoo.

The Cowboys dipped their toes this year in designing an offensive scheme with a collection of motions and shifts to cause defensive confusion along with an uptick in RPOs, and it would be wise to lean into that even more by hiring Bienemy.

Many will poke holes in Bienemy’s resume as offensive coordinator based on the fact that he’s had Patrick Mahomes, who is the most talented quarterback in the sport, as his signal-caller. However, that ignores what Kansas City was able to do when forced to start Matt Moore in place of an injured Mahomes this season.

In the two games Moore started in Mahomes’ absence, he went 49 of 71 (69% completion percentage) for 542 yards (7.63 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns – all of which are massive improvements over Moore’s career averages.

Nice catch and adjustment, Kelce... Yea yea yea



But we just going to ignore the ‘Double Jet Y Throwback’ concept.



Andy you dog you!! pic.twitter.com/GM6p6rrl6l — Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) October 28, 2019

Bienemy deserves a ton of credit for molding the offense around Moore this season. While he may not be the one calling plays (that’s Reid’s job), he is the one who simplifies Kansas City’s complex offense to make it as simple as possible.

When asked about Bienemy’s role in the offense, the Chiefs’ other backup QB Chad Henne stated, “We have a lot of plays, but when he comes in -- whether it be about protections or the kind of reads [we need to make] -- he tries to simplify it and make it as easy as possible for the quarterback.”

That’s why even with Bienemy’s background as a running back, he can still have a huge positive effect on Dak Prescott.

Still, that background would certainly also be used to craft an effective ground attack centered around Elliott. Nevertheless, you can bet that he will find creative ways to get Tony Pollard involved as well.

The biggest way Bienemy can make the Cowboys’ rushing attack more efficient is by spreading defenses out and creating more space for his playmakers at running back. The Chiefs do an excellent job of manipulating box counts with formations and motion to create optimal running scenarios, as the Chiefs’ running backs routinely finish toward the bottom in runs against eight-men boxes, per Next Gen Stats. This is the kind of methodology that can truly maximize Dallas’ running game.

Greg Roman

If you want an offensive-minded coach who will utilize Prescott’s legs more often, Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman isn’t the sexiest name, but he could be the best fit for Dallas’ personnel.

Roman has a history of creating potent offenses on the backs of mobile quarterbacks. When Roman was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers from 2011-2014, he helped build the explosive offense around Colin Kaepernick that went to the Super Bowl in 2012. In 2012 and 2013, the 49ers finished with a top-10 offense by DVOA (fifth in 2012 and eight in 2013).

Moreover, at his next stop in Buffalo (2015-2016), Roman had another mobile quarterback at his disposal, Tyrod Taylor. Roman turned around Buffalo’s offense immediately, as they ranked 26th in offense DVOA in 2014 (the year before Roman arrived) and climbed all the way up to 9th in 2015, per Football Outsiders. Yet, despite that success, Roman was fired in September of his second season because he didn’t mesh well with Rex Ryan.

Roman then moved on to Baltimore where he was a tight ends coach and run game coordinator in 2017-18 before becoming offensive coordinator. Just like in San Francisco and Buffalo, Baltimore’s offense exploded once they handed the reigns to Roman, climbing to the No. 1 offense by DVOA after finishing 15th a year ago.

.@Ravens and the multiple ways that they atrack in the run game is going to give DC’s around the @NFL insomnia . This play is only one example. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/AuXQfhuWX5 — Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 11, 2019

Roman did this by orchestrating an entire offense around Jackson’s unique skill set, one that the NFL still has yet to figure out. What makes the offense tough to stop is the fact that Roman has intertwined the run and pass game so seamlessly, as the Ravens use a gambit of RPOs and play-action passes, making it difficult for opposing defenses to know what’s coming. Jackson’s unique athleticism and playmaking ability at the quarterback position is certainly a huge reason for Baltimore’s success, but it wouldn’t happen if Baltimore’s offense wasn’t designed so well by Roman.

#Ravens OC Greg Roman has been going into his Colin Kaepernick package of plays with Lamar Jackson.



Compare this formation and play design by the 49ers in 2012 that sure looks awfully familiar to a run by Lamar on Sunday.



Time is a flat circle, friends. pic.twitter.com/HSKDMnO6m7 — Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 5, 2019

Roman has long been a run game maestro, it was why John Harbaugh hired him with the Ravens. When discussing the changes implemented by Roman as run game coordinator, Harbaugh said: “We basically revamped the run game completely, and we went to a whole other philosophy.

“The philosophy was more along the lines of a multiple run game and a more game-plan-oriented type of a run game. We are trying to create angles; we are trying to create numbers advantages wherever we can.”

Imagine the type of ground attack Roman could cook up with Prescott, Elliott, Pollard and the Cowboys’ offensive line. The rest of the NFL would assuredly shutter at the thought.

Nevertheless, don’t underestimate Roman’s ability to build an explosive passing attack, too. While much has been made of Dallas’ passing attack pushing the ball downfield, the Ravens have attacked downfield at an even higher rate. This season, 13.7% of Jackson pass attempts have gone 20 or more yards downfield, which is a slightly higher rate than Prescott’s 13.3%.

Since Roman has proven capable of immediately turning around average offenses, imagine what he could do with one that is on pace to finish second in offense DVOA this season?