Dez Bryant channeled his inner Beastie Boy in expressing his displeasure with the Cowboys’ promotion of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to replace departed Mike McCarthy as head coach.
“Somebody is getting sabotaged,” the outspoken former Dallas receiver wrote on X. “Smh.”
In a follow-up post, Bryant wrote: “I honestly don’t know how to feel right now. I’m trying to understand what Jerry meant by saying he was ‘all in,’ he added. Maybe the coach is good, maybe he’s not, but my energy towards how the Cowboys have been mixing things doesn’t feel like success anytime soon.”
Bryant, a three-time Pro Bowler who starred for the Cowboys from 2010-17 before injuries derailed his career, wasn’t the only person left shaking his head after Jerry Jones announced the Schottenheimer promotion on Friday.
The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 7-10 record, with $240 million quarterback Dak Prescott limited to eight starts due to a torn hamstring.
Bryant had thrown his support last week behind former Cowboys star and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders as McCarthy’s replacement, posting on X on Jan. 13: “I hope Deion Sanders get the Cowboys coaching job!”
The 36-year-old Bryant also has pointed out that former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn also has the Commanders in the NFC championship game against the Eagles in his first season with Washington.
The Cowboys haven’t reached a conference title game since 1996, the longest absence in the NFL.
“Dan Quinn turned a once-struggling franchise into a playoff contender and won his first playoff game,” Bryant posted earlier this month. “Until Dallas focuses on winning instead of politics, Cowboy fans should not expect success soon.
“Jerry has built a great brand, and now it’s time for the team to start winning. It’s time for a real culture shift. I’m fed up with all the nepotism … get someone in there who can win games.”
Schottenheimer, who ran the Jets’ offense from 2006-11, has been with the Cowboys the past three seasons.
They were the league’s highest-scoring offense in 2023.