The Dallas Cowboys will make at least one coaching change this offseason, but it might not be the one fans have asked for.
According to reports on Thursday morning, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is set to fill the final head coaching vacancy, joining the NFC East rival Washington Commanders.
Quinn spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator in Dallas, building one of the top defenses in the NFL after being fired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons — a team that he took to the Super Bowl and infamously blew a 28-3 halftime lead.
Quinn had developed a reputation as an elite defensive coordinator and is known as one of the architects of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense that helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl. During his time in Dallas, the Cowboys led the NFL in forced turnovers and consistently ranked among the top 10 teams in yards and points allowed.
He has been a head coaching candidate each offseason but chose to remain in Dallas each time.
In Washington, he will replace veteran head coach Ron Rivera and face the Cowboys twice a year. The Commanders lost both matchups with Dallas this season.
Washington owns the second overall pick in the NFL Draft and will have several questions to answer after a disappointing year that saw it ship off some of its defensive stars. The Commanders will need to decide if they believe Sam Howell is a franchise quarterback, and Quinn’s offensive staff will be crucial for a team with talent on that side of the ball but has yet to produce at the expected rate.
Washington also made a front office change this offseason, hiring San Francisco’s Adam Peters as general manager.
