It is easy to forget, given how much positivity and aggressiveness has been built into this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys and coach Brian Schottenheimer, that this was not a very good team in 2025. Sure, there is ample conversation about this being a Super Bowl contender, but these Cowboys are not the Broncos or the Rams, teams that were in January’s championship games and needed only one or two breaks to reach last year’s Super Bowl. The Cowboys won seven games. And they won seven games the year before that.
While Schottenheimer has been outspoken about Super Bowl aspirations, he has also unsheathed a double-edged sword in being so public about those aspirations. The Cowboys have high expectations. What if they’re not met?
Brian Schottenheimer: 5th Best Odds to Be Fired
As the old saying goes, you can’t fire the players. It’s notable that Jerry Jones generally has a long leash with coaches and that only once in 45 years as owner has he not given a coach at least three seasons to prove himself, and that was Chan Gailey in 1989, a move that Jones has tabbed as one of his biggest regrets. But oddsmakers are not sentimental, and the money says that Schottenheimer ranks among the most likely coaches to be fired first in the NFL.
That’s according to BetOnline Sports and Casino, which has Schottenheimer at 10-to-1 to be the first coach fired. Aaron Glenn of the Jets is the top choice, followed by Todd Bowles of the Buccaneers, Zac Taylor of the Bengals and Shane Steichen of the Colts.
‘Don’t Understand’ Cowboys Odds to Fire Brian Schottenheimer
Now, it should be pointed out, that these do not constitute Las Vegas odds. BetOnline is an offshore sportsbook, a bit less reputable than the usual stateside options. Still, the idea that Schottenheimer could be a victim of his own enthusiasm about the Cowboys’ outlook is not outrageous.
As RJ Choppy of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas said, “The first coach to be fired in 2026 is whom? Coming in at fifth is Brian Schottenheimer. I don’t understand this, 10-to-1. Brian Schottenheimer, 10-to-1, right in front of Dan Quinn and Nick Sirianni in the East. Followed by Mike Vrabel at 16-to-1. Why would Brian Schottenheimer be this high up?
“(Expectations) are pretty high. … I saw someone write, for all the fun culture stuff this year, they won seven games and Dak Prescott played all the games. And I do forget that. It feels like they’re 8-9, a little bit better, but it was still a 7-9-1 season with the collapse after Thanksgiving after everybody thought they were on their way up.”
Health, Defense, Schedule Are Cowboys Pitfalls
There are plenty of pitfalls for the Cowboys ahead. The first is Prescott’s health–the Cowboys probably can’t withstand an extended injury for Prescott, and he has not played two fully healthy seasons back-to-back since 2019. There’s also the defense, which was the worst in the NFL by some measures in 2025. The Cowboys have faith that a crew of five or six new starters plus new defensive coordinator Christian Parker will fix that, but we’ve not really seen it in action.
And there is the schedule. An early five-game gauntlet has the Cowboys play in Brazil against the Ravens on September 27, the Texans in Houston on the following Sunday, then a Thursday night game against Tampa Bay and back-to-back road games in Green Bay and Philadelphia.
That will be tough to survive. Even if they do, it will be a fatigued team, as the Cowboys don’t get a bye until Week 14.
There are reasons, then, to be concerned about Schottenheimer. But fired during the season? Don’t bet on that.
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