Kellen

Moore

Moore quickly emerged as the lead candidate for the Eagles’ offensive coordinator vacancy after the Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh as their head coach. Moore was being targeted by both the Browns and Eagles, but the Eagles have wasted little time in hiring the 35-year-old offensive coordinator. Moore called plays for the Cowboys from 2019 through 2022 before being dismissed at the end of his final season. The Chargers quickly scooped him up in hopes of further tapping into Justin Herbert’s potential, but injuries and an overall lousy team environment made life difficult for the Chargers in 2023. Now, Moore will get a chance to work with another high-end quarterback in Jalen Hurts, who had an up-and-down campaign as the Eagles collapsed last in the season. We’ll see if Moore can help Hurts and the offense reach new heights as they look to rebound from a disappointing season.

The hiring of head coach Jim Harbaugh by the Chargers has likely opened the door for Moore to seek opportunities elsewhere. While his departure from the Chargers hasn’t been officially confirmed, Harbaugh’s ties to NFL play-callers and his history with the likes of Greg Roman could leave Moore on the outside looking in. Moore has long been discussed as a potential head coaching candidate and actually interviewed for the Chargers’ head coaching vacancy earlier this month. His first season with the team was somewhat of a tumultuous one, thanks in part to injuries to Mike Williams and Justin Herbert. Prior to Herbert going down, the Chargers averaged 21.7 points per game and were sixth in early-down pass rate. His commitment to the passing game drew criticism in Dallas, but was valued by the Chargers last offseason. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a team in search of a high-powered passing game target him for an OC role this offseason.

Moore was brought on as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator after he parted ways with the Cowboys after the 2022 season. The Chargers offense went on a rollercoaster this season, primarily impacted by injuries to Mike Williams, Justin Herbert, Joshua Palmer, and others missing significant time. Moore now has a season under his belt working with Herbert and would be an offensive-minded head coach for the Chargers after Brandon Staley’s three seasons. Moore has been a potential head coaching candidate since his days with the Cowboys and after officially interviewing with the Chargers, he is squarely back on the head coaching radar.

The Chargers moved quickly to get a deal done with Moore, who has barely had time to pack his office after agreeing to part ways with the Cowboys less than 24 hours ago. While the Buccaneers were reportedly interested in Moore’s services, the two sides never had a chance to meet, as the Chargers moved swiftly to secure their next offensive coordinator. One of the more coveted young minds in the game, Moore interviewed for the Panthers’ head coaching job before ultimately losing out to Frank Reich late last week, and was on several teams’ head coaching radars in early 2022. Moore now moves from Dak Prescott to Justin Herbert as he and the Chargers look to gain ground on the Chiefs, who are headed to their third Super Bowl in four seasons.

Moore was “being evaluated” as the Cowboys conducted exit interviews and he survived to the last round of Panthers head coach candidates. Apparently the evaluation did not go in his favor. Mike McCarthy will reportedly call plays for the Cowboys next season, opening CeeDee Lamb up for stick/flat calls on every play based on his previous time in Green Bay. Moore’s Cowboys regressed to 15th in offensive DVOA this year, but that did come with several games of Cooper Rush under center. With several offensive coordinator positions still open, we expect Moore to be a candidate for many of them. Ian Rapoport mentioned Tampa Bay as one place expected to have interest in Moore.

That sure didn’t take long. Moore’s unit may have regressed a bit in 2022, but he’s still coordinated some high-powered offenses for the Cowboys. The Chargers have also reportedly met with Rams QB coach Zac Robinson, Titans TEs coach Luke Steckel, Rams offensive assistant Greg Olson, Vikings assistant QB coach Jerrod Johnson, and Rams assistant head coach/TE coach Thomas Brown.

“Kellen Moore, just like the rest of the coaches, will be evaluated,” McCarthy said. It’s coachspeak, but it’s also not a situation that would typically call for coachspeak. Moore has again drawn head-coaching interest this offseason, emerging as a finalist in Carolina before the Panthers decided to go with Frank Reich. We have an extremely difficult time believing Moore won’t be back next season, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if he and McCarthy were growing less philosophically aligned instead of more.

Moore was one of a handful of candidates to receive a second interview from the Panthers, who still have other interviews to conduct. Still, Moore’s stock continues to rise as he’s now interviewed for various head coaching vacancies each of the last two seasons. This season, Moore’s Cowboys averaged the fourth-most points per game (27.5) and were 11th in yards per game (354.9). Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already insisted that Moore would remain with the team through next season, although there’s little reason to believe that would be the case should a head coaching job be offered to him.

Moore remains a much sought-after head coaching option even after the Cowboys’ miserable postseason exit against the Niners in the Divisional Round. While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is on the record saying Moore will remain in Dallas, it’s hard to imagine Moore -- who offense ranked tenth in EPA per play in 2022 -- staying put. Moore’s run-first offensive philosophy could be hugely beneficial to whichever running back emerges in the Carolina offense. The Panthers are also considering former Colts head coach Frank Reich, Eagles OC Shane Steichen, and Giants OC Mike Kafka for the team’s head coaching job.

Moore has been a head coaching candidate during his four years as the Dallas OC. Last year he interviewed for the head coaching gigs in Jacksonville and Miami. He coached the Cowboys offense this season through a two-month absence for starting QB Dak Prescott, leaning heavily on the run game before shifting to a more balanced approach upon Prescott’s return. Dallas finished the 2022 regular season with the league’s tenth highest EPA per play. Carolina has also requested permission to interview Giants OC Mike Kafka and Eagles OC Shane Steichen.