Jerry Jones gives one-word answer on Cowboys play-calling change after Bucs loss
Jerry Jones was asked after Thursday night’s 24-16 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if the Dallas Cowboys would join the teams that have already changed play callers five weeks into the season. NFL Network’s Jane Slater put the question to the owner as the Cowboys fell to 2-3 against an opponent that arrived without a win.
Any change would come at Brian Schottenheimer’s expense. He calls the offense himself, and the Dallas defense has struggled across both of his seasons as head coach, so a new voice on either side of the ball would take part of the operation out of his hands.
Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
“5 games into the season we have seen teams make changes on offense and defense at the play caller. I asked Jerry Jones if that was an option here at DC or premature,” Slater wrote on X. “His answer: ‘premature.’”
The Dallas defense entered Thursday 31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and gave up 241 yards on 39 carries as Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 165. Tampa Bay’s opening touchdown drive lasted 10:58, the league’s longest by time in 19 years.
On offense, Javonte Williams scored on the opening series but had only seven carries by halftime. Trailing 24-10 with 1:46 left in the third quarter, Dallas ran Williams once and then threw three straight incompletions, the last on a failed fourth down in its own territory. Dak Prescott finished 24 of 42 for 316 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Schottenheimer said earlier this season that calling plays, managing the game and running the team does not overwhelm him. He made the comments in the week after the Cowboys’ 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro.
“No, it doesn’t get overwhelming. But, no, I mean, it moves fast,” Schottenheimer said.
That Ravens game came with its own admission. “I didn’t do very good in the last 28 seconds,” Schottenheimer said at the time, taking responsibility for the sequence that decided it.
5 games into the season we have seen teams make changes on offense and defense at the play calIer.
I asked Jerry Jones if that was an option here at DC or premature.
His answer: “premature”
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) October 9, 2026
How long can Jerry Jones wait on a play-calling change?
Sep 25, 2026; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer reacts at press conference at the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo training ground. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“Premature” is an answer about timing, and Jones gave it with the Cowboys having lost three of their first five games under the current arrangement. Thursday’s defeat came against an undrafted rookie quarterback, Jalon Daniels, who completed 19 of 25 passes and did not turn the ball over in his second career start.
Jones’ answer keeps both play-calling roles unchanged heading into Week 6. It also puts a clock on the question, since calling a move premature in early October stops short of ruling it out.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.