FRISCO, Texas — Owners of the No. 1 offense in the entire NFL in most major categories, the Dallas Cowboys can thank several people for that being the case, from All-Pro Dak Prescott playing at an MVP level to head coach Brian Schottenheimer modernizing the playcalling as he initially promised to, but make sure you add offensive coordinator Klayton Adams to that list.
Adams joined the Cowboys as one of Schottenheimer's first hires, and to much fanfare, considering he's one of the most heralded offensive line coaches in the league, for the Arizona Cardinals, before being wooed away to Dallas.
"I think there's probably some personality similarities," Adams said of his relationship with Schottenheimer, who reached out to others to inquire about Adams before giving him a call. "I think, away from football, we're the type of guys that would probably hang out and do things together. I think there's probably also some good complementary skill sets.
"I know that there's things that he does that I look at and I go, 'Gosh, I wish I was a little bit more that way.' … So that was one thing that was really good about it for me."
The football marriage is off to a roaring start, to say the very least. Heading into their Week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, the Cowboys own one of, and in some instances, the best rushing attack(s) in the entire league.
Javonte Williams is having a resurgent season under the four-pack of coaches, inclusive of offensive line coach Conor Riley, assistant OL coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. and running backs coach Derrick Foster — Williams being tied for second-most rushing touchdowns (5) and for fourth-most yards per carry (5.7), also ranked third in total rushing yards (447).
When Adams arrived in Dallas, he set forth an edict that dictated the Cowboys' rushing attack "create violence in the game, be aggressive, run and hit". Williams and the offensive line, even when four starters were sidelined with injury, are manifesting his mantra in a major way; but Adams sees it a bit differently, though.
"In regards to, like, the stats, I don't know, but I think when you take the litmus test, and you just watch it, I just think there's a lot of improvement that needs to be made for us to be operating on the level that we want to be operating on," said Adams. "I think the guys are playing hard, for sure. I just think that there's a lot of intricacies of things that you watch and you go, 'Gosh, that block, like, we need to figure that one out, or our path is off here.'
"It's a constantly evolving thing. I mean, we're in Week 6, and there was a bunch of stuff after yesterday's practice, like, "How are we going backwards in this area?' You've just gotta continue to coach it. And as you catch up to one thing, another thing slips, so it's a balancing act, but to answer your question, I think we have a long way to go."
In other words: more.
"We're running ahead, but I think there's plays where we do, and there's plays where we don't, and that's one of our biggest issues right now is consistency," Adams explained. "So, yeah, I think we're headed that direction. As you introduce new elements into any scheme or group, you're gonna have some sort of drawbacks and things like that, but I would say, generally, yeah, the running back's been pretty fantastic, in my opinion.
"The core group of front block(s) and form, and that involves the receivers and the quarterback and the things that we're trying to get achieved in the row game. It's just inconsistent."
Yeah, always more.
It stands to reason why Adams would feel the way he does about his rushing attack, responsible for coordinating that side of the equation while Schottenheimer focuses on the passing assault. Because despite the fact Williams is already just one rushing touchdown away from tying the six recorded by the Cowboys on the ground throughout the entirety of the 2024 season, the unit isn't perfect and Williams has indeed turned some plays from a potential loss of yards to a gain beyond the line of scrimmage.
That said, what the offensive line has done is impressive, even when not one, or two or three, but four backups have turned into starters thanks to the injury bug, and Adams' amount of time spent in that room, alongside Riley, is paying off like gangbusters.
"It's been awesome," Adams said of working with Riley, a renowned offensive line coach in his own right that was poached away from Kansas State. "I couldn't ask for somebody in that room that understands what I want at a higher level, but also, is just completely low ego. There's times where I can't get in there for a day, or I can't get in there for a couple of days, and I just know that it's being taken care of, because the guy's really smart.
"He does an outstanding job. And then the low ego piece is, if there's something that I feel like I've missed, we've gotta go back and talk about it. It's like, 'Hey, you know what? Good, I'm all on board. Let's do it like that.' And we were able to talk through things that we have disagreements on without it being, for lack of a better term, sh-tty."
With the second quarter of the 2025 season now in full swing, there will be plenty of optics on Williams and the Cowboys' rushing attack as the defensive unit squares off against Rico Dowdle, last year's eventual feature back in Dallas, but count on the following being true: Ii the Cowboys' ground game dominates the Panthers, Adams will be more than pleased, but also critical, until it's damn near perfect in every aspect of its game.Word to Herman Boone.
