Here's the only way Jason Garrett can reportedly save his job with the Cowboys

Here's how Jason Garrett can save his job.

Jason Garrett’s job is safe — for now. The Dallas Cowboys are likely to part ways with Garrett at the end of the season, unless he leads the team on a deep playoff run, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The benchmark seems to be the NFC Championship Game. An appearance in the title game would go a long way in securing Garrett’s job in Dallas for 2020. Otherwise, Rapoport seemed to be indicating that Garrett is out. Meanwhile, the Cowboys will begin scouting head coaching candidates. They’re interested in former Panthers coach Ron Rivera, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley and perhaps even former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who had an embarrassing meltdown on sports radio this week, is keeping his options open. And while it pains me to praise Jones, he is probably doing what’s best for the team. It felt foolish for Dallas to string along a lame-duck coach. Still, the Cowboys can’t turn the job over to anyone else on staff — with the exception of perhaps offensive coordinator and 31-year-old Kellen Moore — and they definitely can’t turn the team over to someone not on staff. As bad as the Cowboys are, they are still first in their division. Dallas can ride Garrett into the playoffs, if they really believe Moore can’t get them there. Meanwhile, the Cowboys and Jones can get a jump on vetting potential replacements for Garrett.

A few problems could pop up, however. First, Jones is still the general manager. That, in itself, has long been a problem. A new coach may not solve the personnel issues that Jones has created. Second, if Garrett does advance into the playoffs, the Cowboys may struggle to fill his vacancy. If he loses in the divisional round, for example, a handful of the best coaching candidates may be off the market.

For now, the Cowboys seem to be making the best of a bad situation (even if they’re stringing along Garrett in unfortunate and embarrassing fashion). But there are ways this could end up hurting them in the long run.