Why Cowboys’ long evaluation process can’t be a good sign for OC Kellen Moore

Update (Jan. 29, 6:10 p.m.): The Cowboys have parted ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Head coach Mike McCarthy will take over playcalling duties.

The longer Kellen Moore’s status remains unsettled — evaluations continue at The Star with Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones — the more it appears a change at offensive coordinator is imminent. If that’s the conclusion, there’s only one place for the Cowboys to turn.

Three years ago when McCarthy took the job as Cowboys head coach, he resisted calling plays because he wanted to respect the system in place.

But his rise in this league was tied to his ability to call plays. What McCarthy did as an offensive coordinator in New Orleans and San Francisco led to him becoming the head coach in Green Bay. He called the plays for most of his career there, including the team’s Super Bowl XLV title.

McCarthy held his season-ending press conference Thursday. The club issued a release before he took the podium announcing the contracts of six coaches on the staff wouldn’t be renewed.

Moore, who has one year left on his contract, wasn’t on that list. When asked directly in that press conference if Moore would return as coordinator, McCarthy sidestepped the question.

“I really don’t want to play this game today,’’ the Cowboys head coach told reporters. “It’s been a long couple of days.

“Kellen Moore, just like the rest of the coaches, will be evaluated. Every coach will be evaluated. The evaluation, it takes more than one day.’’

That evaluation began Friday and has continued through the weekend.

McCarthy chose not to call plays when he took over in Dallas in deference to the bond Moore and Dak Prescott had developed. He thought the continuity of that relationship was the best way for the quarterback to continue to develop.

But this season, Prescott suffered a career-high 15 interceptions and threw two in the playoff loss to San Francisco. This is no longer about making Prescott comfortable.

It’s about making him a little uncomfortable without overhauling the system.

That’s what McCarthy would do.

McCarthy is entering the fourth year of a five-year contract. This team is clearly better than it was when he took over. But the expectation of the Jones family is that the Cowboys advance past the divisional round, a ceiling this franchise has been unable to crack for 27 years.

The return of Dan Quinn at defensive coordinator means McCarthy doesn’t have to worry about what’s taking place on that side of the ball. He can focus his full attention on getting Prescott and this offense right.

The Cowboys finished fourth in the NFL in scoring during the regular season with an average of 27.5 points. They did this even though Prescott missed five games with a broken thumb on his throwing hand.

Dallas led the league in scoring the previous year with an average of 31.2 points, scoring a franchise record 530 points.

So why would the organization consider moving on from Moore? One reason is the disconnect between regular-season production and the playoffs.

The Cowboys averaged just 14.5 points in their two postseason losses to San Francisco over the last 13 months. Dallas scored just six points and failed to find the end zone in the second half of its 19-12 divisional round loss to the 49ers to end this season.

Another reason is the dip in Prescott’s performance. His 15 interceptions tied for the league’s worst total.

Moore has done a good job. He has been with Prescott every step along the way, first as a teammate then as quarterbacks coach before becoming the Cowboys offensive coordinator. But it’s time to find someone else to continue this walk with Prescott.

It should be Mike McCarthy.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday at 7 p.m. during the Cowboys season.

Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN

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