The Dallas Cowboys are putting the pieces of their coaching staff together after Mike McCarthy’s sudden departure, with new coach Brian Schottenheimer assembling a new staff with the hopes of rebounding in 2025. Though Schottenheimer has yet to pick a new offensive coordinator candidate to fill his old position, one candidate is already drawing some pushback from fans. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Cowboys are looking into a coach who struggled at each of his last two stops in the NFL. “#Cowboys are considering former #Browns OC Ken Dorsey for their offensive coordinator position, per source. Interview to be determined but logistics being discussed,” Fowler shared in a post on X.

The Browns struggled on offense under Dorsey, finishing the season ranked No. 28 in yards and No. 32 in points. Dorsey took over play-calling duties midway through the season, but the team continued to struggle as starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was lost to a season-ending injury and veteran backup Jameis Winston failed to bring stability.

Dorsey was previously the offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills but was fired midway through the 2023 season. Cowboys reporter Joseph Hoyt pointed out that Dorsey would not come to Dallas with a recent track record of success in the NFL. “Interesting. Ken Dorsey has been fired each of the last two seasons (Bills, Browns),” Hoyt shared in a post on X.

Many fans questioned the move as well, considering Dorsey a weak candidate. “You can NEVER sell me on ken Dorsey,” one wrote in a post on X. Some fans defended Dorsey, noting that he was able to put together one of the league’s top offenses in Buffalo despite the team’s struggles with turnovers, and managed to pull some strong performances out of Winston in Cleveland. But others said they favored the other reported candidate for the job, Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams.

“Klayton Adams for the new #DallasCowboys OC or we RIOT!” one fan wrote. While it’s not yet clear what direction the team will go, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones made it clear that the team wants to build their offense around a strong running game in 2024. “I think most of these guys always want to check the run game box,” Jones told the team’s official website. “Most of these guys are very, if you will, fluent when it comes to throwing the ball around the yard. But you always want a great offensive line coach, a great running game coordinator. And of course, the key this day and time is to marry that run game to the pass game.”