Dez Bryant Backs Jason Witten For Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Job

Dez Bryant wants Jason Witten to replace Brian Schottenheimer as Cowboys head coach if things go wrong.© X/@NFL

Four wins, five losses, one nervous fan base. The Dallas Cowboys escaped Indianapolis with a 27-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, yet the cheers sounded more like sighs. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer now sits under a harsh spotlight, and former wide receiver Dez Bryant has stepped into it with a bold suggestion. His pick for the next man in charge is Jason Witten, a Hall of Fame tight end who has barely started his coaching journey. Owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, spent deadline day talking trades, not coaches.

Why Dez Bryant Wants Jason Witten To Lead The Dallas Cowboys

Bryant did not hide his feelings. After watching a clip of Witten rallying the Oklahoma Sooners in the locker room, he went to X and wrote, "I'm sharing this post because of Witten!" He added, "I'm just saying, @dallascowboys, if things don't go right, you know what to do."

A week earlier, he had posted, "I'm just saying… if anything were to happen in Dallas…Jason Witten should be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. “I can see it..and I'd love that.”

Here is the fair view. Witten has run one game as an interim offensive coordinator. His Oklahoma Sooners beat the Florida Gators 23-7 and gained 351 yards, with a near-even split between 207 through the air and 144 on the ground. That is a good start, not a résumé. Still, Sooners head coach Brent Venables sees a future in it. "That's a goal of his. He got started a little later because he was a savage player. One of the best ever. A Hall of Famer. But he's got all of the right stuff. All of the right qualities."

Jerry Jones offered Dez Bryant a 10-year, $114 million contract with only $20 million guaranteed. Dez said he was not that dumb, and walked out. In the video below, Dez Bryant says, "10 years for $100 million, 20 million guarantee. I'm not that dumb." It was his contract year in Dallas. Jerry called him to the stadium and tried to get him to sign. Dez had just played five seasons. He knew he was not playing another 10. A 10-year deal with only $20 million guaranteed meant the Cowboys could cut him and walk away from almost the entire $114 million headline. Around the same time, Calvin Johnson's contract carried about $48 million in guarantees. Dez stood up, pointed at the field, and asked Jerry if he thought he could cover him. Jerry said Dez would destroy him. Dez asked why, then, Jerry thought he could sit there and negotiate the contract himself. He walked out and took his chances. In July 2015, he signed a five-year, $70 million deal. The guarantees on that contract reached $45 million, more than twice what the first offer locked in. The Cowboys released him in April 2018, with two years left on that deal. So did Dez get shorted by that first offer, or did walking out get him the guarantee he wanted?

— Versivald (@versivald) November 10, 2026

Witten also knows the building. He spent 16 years in Dallas, caught 1,215 passes for 12,977 yards and made 11 Pro Bowls.

What Jerry Jones And The Dallas Cowboys Are Really Facing

Jones kept his focus on the roster. Speaking on 105.3 The Fan before the deadline, he said, "Don't count it out, a lot of things happen on this last day, but I don't look for us to make a significant trade today." He also hinted at a running back addition after Tyler Goodson's injury, and he said George Pickens missed the Colts game because of a injury, calling it "100% injury-related."

The bigger picture is tight. The Dallas Cowboys trail the New York Giants, who sit at 5-2-1, in the NFC East. They own only three picks in the 2027 draft, which limits any big move. Their next test is the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 15.

So the Witten talk is really a fan mood check. Winning cures most coaching debates, and Schottenheimer has a chance to quiet this one on the field. If the losses pile up, though, Bryant's post may start to look less like a hot take and more like a preview.