Cowboys hire Cards O-line coach Adams as OC

FRISCO, Texas — While Brian Schottenheimer will call plays in his first year as the Dallas Cowboys‘ coach, he has hired his offensive coordinator in former Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams.

Adams, 41, spent the last two seasons in that role for the Cardinals and is well regarded across the league for his run game. The Cardinals had the seventh-ranked run game in the NFL last year (144.2 yards per game) and was second in yards per carry (5.3).

James Conner had 1,094 yards and eight rushing touchdowns for Arizona in 2024. The Cowboys were led by Rico Dowdle, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent, with 1,079 yards and just two touchdowns. The Cowboys had only six rushing touchdowns on the season.

The Cowboys are expected to hire an offensive line coach in addition to having Adams.

Before joining Arizona, Adams spent four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, working with the tight ends as well as an assistant offensive line coach.

In addition to Adams, the Cowboys also interviewed Detroit Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery and Atlanta Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger. They also had talks with former Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.

Schottenheimer has filled all of his coordinator slots with Adams, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen. In addition to offensive line, the Cowboys have openings at running back and wide receiver.

The team interviewed New Orleans running backs coach Derrick Foster on Thursday, according to a source.