Following their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5, the Dallas Cowboys had a players-only meeting, which was focused on fixing their defensive struggles.
While many saw this as a sign that they were ready to take accountability for their shortcomings, Mike Tomlin didn't agree. The Super Bowl-winning head coach ripped the meeting, saying a team is "dead" when they feel the need to resort to these meetings.
Now, just a couple of days after Tomlin criticized the Cowboys, he's being linked to a potential head coach opening in the NFC. According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, an ownership family with a coach on the hot seat is eyeing Tomlin as a potential replacement.
"I'm told by a long-time well-placed source that there's an ownership family in the NFC who is very fond of Mike Tomlin and who the source has learned is open to wooing Tomlin to their franchise to potentially replace their current head coach if the ship isn't righted for their team this season," Anderson wrote on her Substack. "As of right now, the sentiment is that this current head coach needs to make the playoffs at least to keep their job, per league source."
Is Brian Schottenheimer on the hot seat?
The first question to ask in this scenario is whether current Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is on the hot seat. While he has an overall record of 9-12-1 with Dallas, there are no signs that Jerry Jones and company are pointing the finger at Coach Schotty.
Instead, their focus has been on trying to get the defense figured out. In that regard, they recently signed Mike Pettine as a senior defensive assistant, a move that came too late, according to former NFL linebacker Teddy Bruschi.
The defensive struggles has kept the focus off of Schottenheimer, but it's fair to assume that his seat could warm up quickly if they have another losing season.
Are the Cowboys the team Anderson mentioned?
The second question to ask is whether or not the Jones family would be interested in Tomlin. His resume is far better than Schottenheimer's and he would be more than capable of fixing the defense in a hurry.
Known as a no-nonense defensive-mind, Tomlin had a top-10 defense 12 times during his 19-year career as a head coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That said, it's not likely that Jones would be willing to admit they made a mistake with Schottenheimer just yet. Instead, they're likely to stick with him for the entirety of his contract and continue looking for defensive answers.
As for the team that might be interested in Tomlin, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been mentioned as a potential destination. Todd Bowles is believed to be on the hot seat and the Glazer family might be willing to bring in Tomlin, if he's interested in coaching again.
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