Dan Quinn has been one of the hottest head coaching commodities in football for, really, the past two years. And for good reason.
Dan Quinn: A Man In High Demand
Not only has Quinn helped the Dallas Cowboys post back-to-back-to-back 12 win seasons – even if that has not translated to post-season success, and turn America’s Teams’ defense, with help from studs Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs, into one of the league’s toughest and best.
The Dallas defense has gotten better each year under the former Atlanta Falcons head coach’s tutelage, going from 19th to 12th to 5th in total defense from 2021 – 2023.
Now, after deciding to remain with the Dallas Cowboys for the 2023 season, it seems that Quinn’s time may finally have come.
Where Could Dan Quinn Land?
Virtually every team has courted Quinn at some stage of the head coaching interview process, outside of the New England Patriots (who exercised a contract clause to hire former linebackers coach, Jerod Mayo), the Las Vegas Raiders (who promoted interim HC, Antonio Pierce, to a permanent role), and the Atlanta Falcons, who have a litany of big name candidates that they are currently pursuing.
Quinn, having had a second interview scheduled with the Tennessee Titans before they promptly hired former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator, Brian Callahan, will now face in-person, later round interviews with both the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, per Jordan Schultz.
Sources: Dan Quinn has in-person interviews this week with the #Seahawks (Thursday) and the #Commanders (Sunday). @BleacherReport https://t.co/jbjFLaryaR
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 23, 2024
Which NFL Franchise Is The Best Fit For Quinn?
At this point, all signs are pointing to Jim Harbaugh being the next head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, whilst the Carolina Panthers seem organizationally dysfunctional following meddling reports of owner, David Tepper, in football operations.
That leaves the aforementioned Seahawks and Commanders. The Seahawks would make sense, as they carry a defensive culture from recently departed head coach, Pete Carroll’s long tenure. Not to mention the fact that Quinn was the defensive coordinator under Carroll in 2013-14 during the Legion of Boom, before being given his first head coaching gig in Atlanta in 2015.
Washington, on the other hand, boasts a team in full rebuild at every stage of operations. From trading their top two pass rushers mid-season, to overhauling their front office executive staff: it is clear new owner, Josh Harris, wants to rub the stink of Dan Snyder off the franchise once and for all, and start afresh with a new cast.
It seems likely that, amidst the flurry of great head coaching candidates on the market this year, that Quinn will still be able to get his shot somewhere, in a job that will likely define what he is remembered as: great head coach, or great defensive coordinator.
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