Dan Mullen is a Dark Horse Candidate For Cowboys Job, But Could Pull Away Down the Stretch

Jason Garrett is still head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and though there's some bizarre Sliding Doors scenario in which he's rewarded for his repeated failure, most reasonable people have accepted that he'll soon have his keycard deactivated. Speculation about his replacement has been going on in earnest for months, but a late entry into the field has the potential to turn this entire process on its head.

Florida's Dan Mullen.

ESPN's Ed Werder mentioned the possibility this morning on Get Up and the gang pointed out his familiarity with Dak Prescott and comfort on the big stage. Laura Rutledge, a Florida alum, seemed to think there could be fire behind the smoke.

Mullen is a player-friendly coach much like Garrett, so there's some continuity there. He also cut his teeth as an offensive coordinator and America's Team is desperate for someone who can make a delicious stew with elite skill-player ingredients.

At 47, he's still young enough to have multiple decades ahead of him should lightning strike and his tenure prove to be as successful as those of Cowboys greats Tom Landry and Jimmie Johnson. You see that sentence, kids? It's called getting ahead of one's self.

The late addition of the Mullen idea into the marketplace is sort of weird. And it's worth wondering if we should be taking the kernel and popping it into full-blown idea. Another way of thinking about it: he's not the most attractive name, but his resume is damn impressive -- and more complete than those of Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule.

At this point, of course, all this is handicapping the horses spinning around the carousel. That could change quickly, though, should Jerry Jones become enamored with Prescott's college coach.