The Dallas Cowboys should be looking for a head coach soon and current Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski is a perfect fit
Should the Dallas Cowboys ever decide to start looking for a head coach in 2019, there’s one name they need to make sure to look long and hard at — Kevin Stefanski. Currently the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, Stefanski appears to be the exact person Dallas needs to reach their full potential.
Stefanski might not have a ton of experience, which Dallas might be looking for, but his offensive game-planning during his 19 games as an offensive coordinator plays out like an audition for Big D.
In 2018, the Vikings parted with John DeFilippo, who had been planning the offense around the arm of quarterback Kirk Cousins — much to the dismay of head coach Mike Zimmer. Stefanski replaced DeFilippo for the final three games and started out with a bang as they put up 41 points in a win over Miami.
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He did enough to earn the job full-time this season and continues to prove he knows what he’s doing. Minnesota finished eighth in the NFL with 25.4 points per game and was deadly on the ground with 133.3 yards per game.
The formula was simple but effective. Their offense stopped relying so heavily on the pass and started to filter things through Dalvin Cook who had his best season as a pro with 1,135 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. Cook was also a stud in the passing games, coming in second on the team with 519 yards on 53 receptions.
But Cook wasn’t the only player to benefit from the shift in philosophy. Kirk Cousins also had the most efficient season of his career. While he threw for less than 4,000-yards for the first time since 2014, Cousins completed 69 percent of his passes and had 26 touchdowns against only six picks.
Should Stefanski join the Cowboys, he would be able to run a similar offense with a running back who many believe has more talent than Cook. Ezekiel Elliott was the No. 4 overall pick in 2016 and has twice led the NFL in rushing already. He’s done that with a coaching staff that frankly didn’t do him many favors.
Dallas often tipped their hand with their plays and didn’t get Zeke involved in the passing game consistently. They also failed to set the pass up with the run as they would often feature a lopsided game-plan — whether that be too run-heavy with no passing threat or vice versa.
These changes which sound simple would not only maximize Zeke’s talent, but would help Dak Prescott continue to grow as a passer.
Dallas has a talented roster, but they haven’t had a coach willing to adapt his scheme to better suit them. Kevin Stefanski has shown he can build the offense around his players to maximize what they do best.
With that being the case, this seems like a pairing that’s too good to pass up on.