The Dallas Cowboys have found their man. After flying him in for an in-person interview following a weekend of phone conversations, it has been reported by multiple outlets that the club has agreed to terms in principle with Dan Quinn to be the next defensive coordinator.
Quinn, fired midseason as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, will take over for Mike Nolan, who spent just one year under the new regime led by head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys finished last season with a 6-10 record thanks to a myriad of offensive injuries and an underachieving defense that was filled with mental errors. Quinn will look to invoke the performances he coordinated while in Seattle when he was part of a Super Bowl winner and had back-to-back No. 1-ranked defenses.
The #Cowboys have agreed to a deal in principle to make Dan Quinn their defensive coordinator, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 11, 2021
The Cowboys relieved Nolan of his duties on Friday, along with defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. The pair tried to transition to a hybrid 30/40 front, but that did not take. The front office was disappointed in the lack of foresight of trying to render change without an offseason, as no NFL team had OTAs or minicamps thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the season, many players spoke out about the defense and the coaching staff, including both anonymously and linebacker Jaylon Smith.
Dallas still has several position coaches under contract, so it remains to be seen whether or not Quinn will be interested in keeping George Edwards, Al Harris, Mo Linguist, Scott McCurley or Leon Lett on his staff for the 2021 season.
