Nick Eatman, the Cowboys’ editorial director, said Deion Sanders is unlikely to join the staff but other former players are being considered.
DALLAS — Nick Eatman has been on staff for the Dallas Cowboys since 1999. Now, he serves as director of editorial content. He sat down with WFAA to look back on all the head coaches he’s covered and make some bold predictions for the future.
“I’ve seen a lot,” Eatman chuckled. “I haven’t seen everything though. I haven’t seen an NFC Championship game. I haven’t seen a Super Bowl.”
From Chan Gailey to Dave Campo, “He was a ball of energy,” Eatman remembered. Then, “It was Bill Parcells.” That hire was a big departure in coaching style and personality. Eatman agreed, “Yeah and it was by design. It was also around the time they were trying to get the stadium built so they needed that wow factor. That was very entertaining. You didn’t miss a press conference when it was Bill Parcells.”
Wade Phillips was next to take the helm of America’s Team. Eatman said, “Wade was similar to Mike McCarthy in that he really tried to take care of the players.” Then, the transition to Jason Garrett. Eatman reflected, “It was awkward because… I remember thinking this is going to be weird. Jason Garrett is like the villain in those horror movies where you think, this is it for you. He’s done. Then he pops up again.”
In 2020, Mike McCarthy was hired. “With Mike it was, let’s get a coach that’s had the success we’re looking for,” Eatman said. “He was brought here to take the team to another level and win in the playoffs and they really didn’t do that.”
Now, the Dallas Cowboys are searching for a head coach and the rumor mill is churning. Deion Sanders has already had a conversation with Jerry Jones about the job. “I think Jerry probably looked at that like any excuse I can have to call Deion Sanders up,” Eatman began. “I think there’s always been a mutual respect there between both sides.” When asked if there is any shot that Sanders could be the next head coach, he replied, “Not really.”
When it comes to Deion Sanders, not only does he have an $8 million buyout from Colorado, “You’re going to have to pay top dollar for coordinators on both sides of the ball. That’s where I think it’s probably going to be too much for them to make this whole thing work for both sides,” Eatman explained.
His early favorite to land the job is a former Cowboy as well. “I would say Kellen Moore has got to be at the top of the list there. Just because it checks a lot of the boxes that Jerry and the Cowboys will look at. You’ve got to remember, this ain’t for everyone. This spot here is not for everyone. Some of those coaches that I mentioned earlier it wasn’t for them either,” he said.
In a recent article, his team shared 20 candidates for the job. Eatman added, “Four of them were former Cowboys players in Jason Witten, Kellen Moore, Deion, and then Aaron Glenn from the Lions. That is one that’s intriguing to me. I think that would be a home run hire if Jerry did that. I don’t know if that’s a wild card to me, but that’s one I really hope the Cowboys take a good look at and a real look.”