Week 13 Mike McCarthy replacement rankings as Cowboys head coach

It seems that Kingsbury's absence after the disaster in Arizona did him a lot of good. The offense he put together in DC for rookie Jayden Daniels is quite impressive and a stark contrast to what he did with Kyler Murray in the desert.

That change could result in him being given a second chance that isn't always afforded to him, but Washington's recent decline came behind an injured Daniels and an offense that couldn't get around those limitations. Things have stalled (political pun intended) in Washington and Kingsbury may need a second act before returning to the head coaching ranks.

One name that is rarely discussed but probably should be is former heir to the throne Kellen Moore. Moore was Jason Garrett 2.0; was added to the coaching staff as a child prodigy who was highly valued by the Jones family. He took over the offensive coordinator position from Garrett to McCarthy. Opening the door in 2023 after a playoff failure, when McCarthy promised to take over the play-calling again, would take the offense to a new level.

This happened for a year before bottoming out in 2024, before all the injuries hit. Meanwhile, Moore joined Brandon Staley's sinking ship in LA for a year, but has revitalized his reputation thanks to the arrival of Saquon Barkley in Phiadelphia. The Eagles are 9-2 and their offense focuses on running to set up the pass.

Will Flores get another chance at a head coaching job? He was dropped by the Dolphins when their owner tried to lure Sean Payton and Tom Brady to South Beach. The revelation about the attempt to have a coach for the tank games may have lifted the curtain on the inner workings of the league, but it probably didn't do Flores any great favors. What has succeeded, however, is the work he has done to right the ship in Minnesota with their defense.

Vrabel is a defensive-minded head coach who found great success at Tennessee with a veteran quarterback who wasn't well-regarded before their time together (Ryan Tannehill). Pairing him with Dak Prescott, who is known as a disciplinarian, would require finding the next big thing as offensive coordinator.

For better or worse, the clubhouse leader. Belichick is a big Prescott fan, Jerry Jones is a big proponent of retreads, and it would be interesting to see if there was a competent front office…oh, wait.

Grabbing from a fruitful tree is always a smart idea, and snagging Smith under Mike McDaniel as part of the Kyle Shanahan limb system seems like a smart decision. Dallas rarely uses movement at the snap and isn't particularly good at it; and that is literally Smith's strength. However, he currently has no play-calling duties, which could be viewed as a disadvantage.

Slowik is extremely fascinating for several reasons. He just auditioned for Jones on Monday night, throwing a 77-yard touchdown on the opening play to announce his arrival.

Slowik's stock has fallen over the past month as CJ Stroud has struggled to shine without his top targets. Slowik comes from the Shanahan coaching staff that has achieved incredible success at the NFL level, and perhaps most importantly, he previously served as a defensive line coach. This combination just seems like a great hire. What the offense looks like after the Week 12 bye will say a lot about his prospects.

Glenn obviously has ties to Dallas, having played two of his 15 seasons with the organization, but the growth of the Lions' defense under his guidance has been impressive in its own right. In 2020, they ranked 32nd in defensive DVOA. Since Glenn joined, they have moved up to 29th, 27th, 13th and are in 2nd place heading into Week 13.

He is consistently highlighted by his players as a phenomenal men's leader.

After great success at Jackson State with back-to-back SWAC championships, Sanders quickly moved Colorado from obscurity to prominence. After going 1-11 the season before, Sanders took them to 4-9 as a freshman and they are 8-3 this season.

Sanders has always been given credence in this area as a real possibility. And now, The…

After a strong stint at LSU with Joe Burrow, Brady has made waves in the nfl over the past three seasons as coordinator of the Josh Allen Buffalo Bills. The Bills ranked second in offensive DVOA in 2022, third in 2023 and are currently fourth in 2024.

The evolution of the Ravens' passing attack and the autonomy under center imposed on Lamar Jackson over the last season and a half has been incredible. As a QB, he's one of the best, but Monken deserves a lot of credit for recognizing how to unlock this team.

After adding Derrick Henry to the mix in 2024, the Ravens now have a historic offense in terms of DVOA. Their rating of 36.9% over 12 weeks is barely below the 2nd (Lions) and 3rd (GB) teams combined.

What Ben Johnson's offense and his guidance could do for Jared Goff was amazing. In the Stafford trade, Goff was supposed to be a placeholder until the Lions recruited their guy. Now the significantly limited passer runs one of the best and most innovative offenses in the league. The Lions have the best record in the NFC, and coordinating a comeback win in Week 10 on Sunday night despite Jared Goff throwing five interceptions was icing on the cake.

There's a rumor that Johnson demanded $15 million per season last cycle. That could be a base number, or it could have been a number he gave to a franchise he wasn't really interested in. Fans should be wary of accepting such reports without the unavailable context.