FRISCO, Texas — As the NFL offseason calendar speeds along, Brian Schottenheimer digs his heels in more and more as both a first-time head coach and the latest leader of the Dallas Cowboys. The latest tasks involved conquering his first NFL Draft and then welcoming a class of 18 rookies to minicamp, with OTAs next up on the agenda.
And, thus far, by all accounts, Schottenheimer is the same as he was when he was an analyst for the Cowboys in 2022, and the team's offensive coordinator in the two seasons that followed — not changing his approach whatsoever to his players or coaches.
After all, building a culture starts at the top.
"I think I've always been someone that believes in connections, getting to know these guys," Schottenheimer said. "I've always been someone who's been able to be demanding and I'm pretty good at disciplining guys. I promised myself, when I got this opportunity, that I wouldn't change, because I think I've seen too many people change."
He went on to elaborate on the outcome for those who have, for one reason or another, opted to morph into a different version of themselves simply because they earned the power to do so.
"The guys I've seen change — I'm not going to name them — they weren't very successful, and I plan on being really successful," he said, firmly. "The reason I think I'll do that is because of my values and my beliefs and how hard I work, but also because I'm going to be me and I'm not going to change that for anything."
Another major key to establishing the new culture in Dallas will be interactions between players, something All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons made clear when asked about his recent viral exchange with former Cowboys’ defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.
To that end, Schottenheimer not only orchestrated locker reassignments that place Parsons next to All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott — his still being next to CeeDee Lamb's (sending the message that they are the Big 3 as far as player leadership goes) — but the Cowboys' head coach is also, quietly, noting interactions between veterans who are currently in the building and the rookies who reported last week.
Bottom line is this isn't simply the perfect time to get the rookies acclimated to the team and the expectations they'll face this summer and beyond, but to also take inventory of relationship-building within the locker room.
"I was kind of sitting at the bottom of the team room watching the interactions go on with different position coaches talking to players … and everybody like that," said Schottenheimer of his early observations. "If you say you're a family, and that's the culture that you want to build, one that's about being family-first and first class and joyful, then what your expectation is, is that your veterans reach out and will assist these young players.
"Dak reaching out to [rookie first-round pick] Tyler Booker the night of the draft is one example. Jalen Tolbert told me he stopped and said hello to three or four of the guys. Luke Schoonmaker was here yesterday getting some extra work and stopped to talk to a few guys he had competed against. It's real. It's tangible."
The hope is it all spills over onto the field by way of wins and a deep playoff run, though, because Schottenheimer is far from naive and knows this is a league where a championship is always the endgame; and especially for a club thirty years removed from its last dance with glory.
"In a business like ours, where I'm going to be judged, we're going to be judged on wins and losses, and that's part of the deal," Schottenheimer said. "And believe me, no one wants to win more than me. No one wants to win a Super Bowl more than me. But at the end of the day, I'd not be doing my job if I didn't make sure that both young and old players alike weren't investing in one another."
So far, so good.
