The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly targeting Conor Riley as offensive line coach, college football insider Bruce Feldman reported on Friday. Pete Thamel from ESPN added the hire is expected to happen.
Riley, who is currently Kansas State’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, coached Cowboys center Cooper Beebe before the latter was drafted by Dallas in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was also a critical part of the electric rushing offense spearheaded by RB Deuce Vaughn.
If hired, Riley would coach the Cowboys offensive line underneath offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who was previously an OL coach himself with the Arizona Cardinals.
Riley’s resumé is a pretty successful one, as noted by the Kansas State Wildcats official website:
During the nine-win 2023 season, Riley coached the Wildcat offensive front to semifinalist status for the Joe Moore Award, an honor that goes to the top offensive line unit in the country. K-State’s line helped the Wildcats rank in the top 30 nationally in 11 offensive categories, including scoring (10th – 37.1 points per game), rushing (11th – 204.1 yards per game), third down conversions (11th – 47.9%), rushing touchdowns (12th – 32) and first downs (12th – 310). The Wildcats ranked 30th nationally in red zone offense (89.23%), but ranked second in the country by scoring touchdowns on 78.46% of their red zone attempts.
Riley came to Manhattan from North Dakota State where he coached the previous six seasons – including the final five tutoring the offensive line under head coach Chris Klieman – helping NDSU win five national championships during his tenure.
Under Riley, the Wildcats have produced multiple All-Big 12 offensive linemen, including Beebe, who was the conference’s lineman of the year in 2022 and 2023.
With the Cowboys being expected to spice up the running game, Riley is a hire that fits the team’s intentions. The Wildcats have run a diverse running scheme over the last few years that has integrated gap schemes concepts, which have been rare in Dallas.
With the emphasis on running the football the Cowboys are preaching, OL coach is undeniably one of the most important hires they’ll make all offseason. Riley is a very promising candidate for the job and someone the fans should be excited about.
