Dan Quinn, Cowboys Defensive Coach, to Complete 2nd Bears Interview

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will interview for the vacant head coach job with the Chicago Bears for the second time, according to reports from the NFL. Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator and former Cowboys coach Matt Eberfluss are also reportedly interviewing for a second time. 

Quinn is credited with turning the Dallas defense around in 2021. After logging some of the worst numbers in franchise history in 2020, Quinn was hired and turned one of the league’s most under-performing defenses into a fearsome unit that dominated numerous offenses throughout the season.

Key acquisitions like first-round draft pick linebacker Micah Parsons, who was named the Pro Football Writers of America Defensive Rookie of the Year this week, and free-agent pickups like defensive tackle Carlos Watkins were key moves before the 2021 season.

NFL columnist Judy Battista writes that the Bears job is the fifth-most enticing opportunity on the market. Chicago has a potential young star in quarterback Justin Fields and has a history as one of the strongest defensive teams in the league. Quinn’s creativity in putting the right players in the right roles could help revitalize a franchise that has fallen on hard times in recent years. 

The Bears’ head coach position has been a revolving door for several decades. Ever since legendary head coach Mike Ditka retired in 1993, the Bears have not maintained any semblance of continuity in head coaches. The last coach to stay in Chicago for any substantial length of time was Lovie Smith, who landed the position in 2004. Smith was fired after the 2011 season that saw the Bears finish 10-6 but missed the playoffs.

Since then, the Bears have appeared in only two playoff games, both losses under recently fired head coach Matt Nagy. The Bears organization additionally fired general manager Ryan Pace after the season finale and announced on January 25 that Ryan Poles had been hired to replace him. 

Reports also show Dan Quinn with an opportunity to take over the reins in Denver. Quinn would inherit a team with many young players in place but that lacks certainty at the top. There is a high likelihood that the team will have new ownership by the beginning of the next season, and the lack of talent on offense indicates a need to invest in free agents and draft picks. Denver has struggled to find a reliable quarterback since Peyton Manning retired following the 2015 Super Bowl victory, which was also the last playoff appearance for the Broncos. 

The recent announcement that head coach Sean Payton was stepping down from his position with the New Orleans Saints has also fueled speculation about the status of current Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy, who is in his second year with the team. Payton has long-standing ties to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and was formerly a coach under Bill Parcells. 

Payton has stated that he has no intention of coaching in 2022, but plans have a way of changing in the offseason as the stress and struggle of the previous season wanes. 

While reports have swirled for years that Payton may make his way back to the Cowboys sideline, any deal to make the switch at head coach seems far-fetched at this point in the coaching carousel.