The Dallas Cowboys just made a bold move to keep a key piece of their coaching staff in-house-and out of NFC East rival hands.
After snagging former Eagles passing game coordinator Christian Parker to be their new defensive coordinator, the Cowboys weren’t about to let the Eagles return the favor. When Philadelphia tried to interview Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams to fill their own OC vacancy, Dallas shut the door.
And it’s not hard to see why.
Adams may not be the play-caller in Dallas, but he’s far from just a clipboard holder. At 42, he’s carved out a reputation as one of the league’s sharpest run-game minds-a guy who can build a ground attack from the trenches up. His fingerprints are all over the Cowboys’ rushing success this season, and the numbers back it up.
Before landing in Dallas, Adams spent two years coaching the offensive line in Arizona. The results?
Back-to-back top-10 rushing offenses: third in the NFL in 2023 (139.1 yards per game), and seventh in 2024 (144.2). That kind of consistency doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s built on fundamentals, scheme, and a deep understanding of how to maximize talent in the run game.
That expertise carried over to Dallas this season, where the Cowboys finished ninth in rushing yards per game (125.6). But the real story might be how Adams helped revive Javonte Williams’ career.
Williams, once a rising star in Denver, saw his trajectory stall after a devastating ACL/LCL injury in 2022. Two quiet seasons later, he looked like a player on the brink of fading out of the league.
Then came 2025-and a fresh start in Dallas. Under Adams’ guidance, Williams powered his way to a career-high 1,201 rushing yards across 16 games.
It was a comeback story fueled by smart coaching and a system that played to his strengths.
But Adams’ impact goes beyond the stat sheet. Just ask Dak Prescott.
"Everywhere," Prescott said when asked where Adams has made the biggest difference. "It would be hard to just say one area. That’s a guy that loves football, loves the locker room, loves his players, loves coaching, loves inspiring."
Prescott went on to describe the kind of presence Adams brings to the building-intensity, focus, grit. The kind of traits that don’t show up in a box score but are felt in the way an offense carries itself. That culture matters, especially in a high-pressure market like Dallas.
So when the Eagles came calling-looking to replace recently fired OC Kevin Patullo-it made perfect sense they’d target Adams. Pairing him with a dynamic back like Saquon Barkley and a dual-threat quarterback like Jalen Hurts could’ve been a nightmare scenario for the Cowboys defense twice a year.
But Dallas wasn’t about to let that happen.
By blocking the interview, the Cowboys sent a clear message: Adams is a core part of their future, and they’re not letting a division rival benefit from his expertise. Not after the Eagles lost Parker to Dallas. Not when Adams’ influence is helping keep their offense among the league’s elite-sixth in points per game this season at 27.7.
In a division where every edge matters, keeping Klayton Adams in Dallas might be one of the most important offseason moves the Cowboys make.