FRISCO, Texas – Way back in the summer of 2016, Dak Prescott had never started a game in his NFL career. He won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Way back last summer, Tony Romo had never called an NFL football game. He won SI's Media Person of the Year.
Experience in any walk of life is important. It's not everything.
Kellen Moore, Cowboys assistant coach, will do just fine.
Yes, Moore is entering new territory in his own right. Speaking to reporters at the Senior Bowl, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones confirmed that the team has an agreement with the 28-year-old Moore to join Jason Garrett's coaching staff after six years as an NFL quarterback, including the last three seasons as a backup for the Cowboys.
Jones did not announce Moore's role, but it's widely expected he will replace Wade Wilson – a valuable assistant for 14 seasons – as quarterbacks coach.
If so – if Moore indeed becomes the new position coach for the 24-year-old Prescott – he'll be a coach, not a player, for the first time in his life.
Here are three reasons why it's a good fit for the Cowboys:
1. He's "Dak friendly." You can't exactly say Moore has no sideline experience. In 2016, when he missed the entire season with a fractured fibula, Moore was around the team in more of a support role. Prescott called him a "genius behind the scenes" and "an offensive coordinator in his own mind" in how he saw things that could help the offense schematically. "He's simply a genius when it comes to helping Coach (Scott) Linehan out, early on in the week giving looks, helping me out with things the defense does, maybe little keys here and there to tip me off (on) coverages or a blitz. He's great," Prescott said then.
2. Coaching is the Moore family business. Tom Moore, Kellen's father, coached him in high school and won four state championships in Prosser, Wash. Kellen's brother, Kirby, has also gotten into coaching since playing wide receiver at Boise State. You can argue that Moore has been groomed for this type of opportunity since he was a kid.
3. Scott Linehan's influence. This is an important point: Prescott's development wouldn't solely be on Moore's plate. Linehan, the Cowboys' offensive coordinator, has been an integral part of Prescott's adjustment to his system for the past two years. For that matter, Garrett – a backup quarterback on three Cowboys Super Bowl teams – is a daily sounding board for Prescott, too. Moore would be another voice whom Prescott trusts and has played longer in Linehan's system (2012-13 in Detroit; 2015-17 in Dallas) than even Prescott himself.
