In a surprising move, the Washington Commanders have hired Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their new head coach.
Quinn certainly wasn’t Washington’s first choice – but they could definitely do much worse.
In the 53-year-old Quinn the Commanders are not only getting a brilliant defensive mind, but they’re severely hurting their biggest rivals, the Cowboys.
Commanders set to hire Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as new head coach. (via @rapsheet, @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/K8h179lsaa
— NFL (@NFL) February 1, 2024
The move marks the first major decision on the football side for new owner Josh Harris, who acquired the team last July.
Quinn served as the Cowboys defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Under his guidance, Dallas was consistency among the league leaders in several key defensive categories.
Notably, the Cowboys led the league with an impressive 93 forced turnovers during Quinn’s tenure.
Commander fans went from fuck Dan Quinn to I love this hire in matter of 7 hours lol pic.twitter.com/U7Het5UmVI
— PAIN (@Xommanders) February 2, 2024
However, you can count ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith as someone who feels Quinn should have stayed in Dallas – especially after the Cowboys disastrous no-show against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round. .
“I’m not questioning (Quinn’s) football qualifications as head coach in Atlanta.. The last time we saw him was in a playoff game where the Dallas Cowboys defense looked horrific.. In moments where it really, really counted they came up short,” Smith said.
“For that to be your hire, it’s not a bad hire, I certainly don’t mean to imply that, but I certainly would have preferred Dan Quinn remaining as defensive coordinator in Dallas to try and make amends for the horrific performance they put on in the Wild Card round against the Green Bay Packers,” he concluded.
Stephen A Smith is NOT a fan of the #Commanders hiring Dan Quinn as their new head coach, he said on First Take.
“The last time we saw him was in a playoff game where the Cowboys defense looked horrific.”
(h/t @awfulannouncing)pic.twitter.com/jWja3gsPL1
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 1, 2024
The fired-Ron Rivera was just the latest Washington head coach to fall way short of expectations. The team hasn’t had a winning season since 2016 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2005.
Quinn, who previously served as the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020, brings a wealth of experience to Washington. He led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 2016 – the infamous “28-3” game.
In case you all were wondering Commander BF’s reaction about the Dan Quinn news 🤣 pic.twitter.com/lUJ6lyas91
— Just Josie (@JosieAve) February 1, 2024
Before his stint in Atlanta, Quinn served as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, where his defenses ranked first in both points and yards allowed for two consecutive seasons.
He was assumed to be the heavy favorite to take over for Pete Carroll in Seattle – but the Seahawks decided to hire Mike Macdonald instead.
#Commanders fans need to give Dan Quinn a chance. He may not have been our #1 choice to lead this new era but Adam Peters believes in Quinn and that is good enough for me. #HTTC
Thank you to @_nataliespala from ABC7 for having me on to talk about the hire pic.twitter.com/rWB38w00hx
— Tailgate Ted (@TailgateTed) February 2, 2024
Interestingly, Rivera is rumored to be a strong candidate to replace Quinn as defensive coordinator in Dallas.
(That’s certainly a move you can see Jerry Jones making.)
Didn't realize Dan Quinn played at Salisbury University.
For those of you that don't know, Salisbury is a small college on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
About 45 minutes away from Ocean City, MD. pic.twitter.com/zEZYtuTQAd
— George Carmi (@Gcarmi21) February 1, 2024
Needless to say, Quinn and Washington general manager Adam Peters have a whole lot of work to do. They will also have around $70 million in cap space to do damage with.
Their biggest decision will come during the NFL Draft. They hold the #2 overall pick and are expected to take one of the top quarterbacks.
Ben Johnson looked at this roster, looked at Seattle's roster, and decided he didn't have the confidence to succeed as a head coach… so he ducked and ran home.
Dan Quinn looked at this team and said "I can make it better, I'm all in."
Maybe we got the right guy after all.
— Commanders Crew ⓦ (@CommandersCrew) February 1, 2024
What are your thoughts on the Quinn hire?
Washington reportedly had zero interest in Bill Belichick … Was that a mistake?
Who should the Commanders draft with the second overall pick?
How long will it take for Washington to become TRULY relevant again???