Commanders hire Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as coach (2024)

By BenStandig, Jeff Howe, Dianna Russini and Jon Machota

The Washington Commanders franchise overhaul continues after agreeing to terms with former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to become their coach, the team announced Saturday.

Quinn, 53, becomes a head coach for the second time. He directed the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020, finishing with a 43-42 record and an appearance in Super Bowl LI.

During the hiring process in Washington, Bill Belichick was considered for the job, sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. The Commanders spoke with him and he had support from some decision makers. In the end, Quinn was their choice.

Washington hopes the pairing of the experienced Quinn with first-year general manager Adam Peters ignites a long-overdue turnaround. The Commanders fired Ron Rivera on Jan. 8 after a 4-13 record in his fourth season as coach. Washington’s last playoff victory was in 2005.

The choice of Quinn comes after another candidate, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, announced Tuesday that he would stay with Detroit shortly before meeting with Washington team officials, including managing partner Josh Harris. The Commanders learned of the decision while flying to Detroit for interviews with Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn after a morning meeting with Quinn in the Washington area.

Terms of the agreement were not made public.

Washington also held a second interview this week with two members of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff: defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and defensive line coach/associate head coach Anthony Weaver. Seattle, the only other team entering the week with a coaching vacancy before hiring Macdonald, also showed interest in Quinn, its former defensive coordinator, and Johnson.

Harris and his limited partners, including businessman Mitchell Rales and former NBA legend Magic Johnson, purchased the Commanders from Dan Snyder in July — one day before training camp — for $6.05 billion. Without time to impact the 2023 football situation, Harris, owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils, among other sports entities, spent the NFL season prepping for potential changes. He pounced immediately after Washington’s seventh consecutive non-winning season.

When Rivera was let go, Harris hired former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers and ex-Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman to assist with the front-office lead and head coach searches. Rivera, the seventh and final coach hired by Snyder, also oversaw the front office. Myers will remain with the organization to assist on non-football matters.

“I’m going to run a thorough but rapid process,” Harris said shortly after announcing the changes.

While Johnson was steadily rumored as Washington’s primary target, team officials emphasized they were conducting a thorough search. They met with eight candidates, per league sources and public reports. Regardless of any potential grand plan, Quinn is no consolation prize. He was considered one of the top options leading into league-wide coaching searches.

Atlanta famously lost the Super Bowl 34-28 after holding a 28-3 lead following the 2016 season, but the appearance was only the second in franchise history. The New Jersey native became the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2021. That year began a streak of three consecutive top-seven finishes in points allowed. Dallas won 12 regular-season games each season before stumbling in the playoffs. The biggest one occurred in this year’s wild-card round. The visiting Packers routed the NFC East champions 48-32 after leading by as many as 32 points.

Whether the loss deflated any public view of Quinn, he remained a serious candidate for Washington. Peters likely gained insight from San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, Quinn’s offensive coordinator for Atlanta’s NFC championship teams. Shanahan and Peters were together with the 49ers from 2017 until the executive joined the Commanders.

The only team to allow at least 30 points per game (30.5) in 2023, Washington fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer on Nov. 24. Rivera directed the defense for the final five games. The Commanders lost eight straight to close the regular season, including a pair to Dallas by a combined 83-20. The Cowboys went 5-1 against their historic rival during Quinn’s three seasons.

At his Jan. 16 introduction, Peters emphasized that the search committee wasn’t entering the interviews with a pre-determined checklist beyond “looking for the best leader for this team, for the Washington Commanders. … And it’s not going to be in a box. It’s not going to be offense. It’s not going to be defense. It’s going to be the best leader for this organization.”

Part of Washington’s organizational appeal — beyond the first offseason without the controversial Snyder — are the options available with the No. 2 selection in April’s NFL Draft. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are among the prospects who may compete with or replace incumbent Sam Howell if Washington uses its first-round pick on a passer.

How Quinn fills out his staff, including the offensive coordinator and other support for a possible young quarterback, becomes the next main topic for Washington — little worked for the Commanders’ offense this past season. They finished toward the league’s bottom with 19.4 points per game, 312.8 yards per game and 56 plays of 20-plus yards in the first year with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Howell. Washington ranks 29th over the past seven seasons, averaging 19.2 points per game.

That question of helping the offense would have been answered with Johnson or another offensive-minded coach. Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who signed an extension with Houston this week, and Bieniemy were two other offensive play callers on the candidate list. Yet the defensive struggles dragged the Commanders down after entering the season with playoff aspirations. Washington also met twice with new Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris.

Quinn shepherded 2021 first-round pick Micah Parsons into the league. The defensive playmaker became the centerpiece of a defense that paced the NFL in turnovers for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Suppose Quinn and Peters, a highly respected talent evaluator, signify the franchise blasting off toward a new era. In that case, the available draft capital is the roster-building rocket fuel. Washington has nine selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, including six in the top 102. It also has $73.6 million of projected salary-cap space this offseason.

Part of the draft haul came from in-season trades that sent defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young to the Chicago Bears and 49ers. Pass-rush replacements are needed along with a Mike linebacker and possibly cornerback and safety if free agents Kendall Fuller and Kamren Curl don’t return.

Other needs include upgrading an offensive line that contributed to Washington allowing 65 sacks and finding more explosive playmakers and size in the receiver room. Tight end is another weak area for the Commanders.

What this means for Dallas

This isn’t a huge surprise from a Cowboys perspective. Quinn has interviewed for several head-coaching openings over the last two years. Many believed he would get an opportunity last offseason. Dallas should be prepared to respond quickly. Some of the in-house defensive coordinator candidates include secondary coach and defensive passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., defensive backs coach Al Harris and defensive line coach Aden Durde. However, Dallas could go outside of the organization and hire a defensive coordinator with some NFL head-coaching experience.

Mike McCarthy is entering the final year of his contract. Would he want to go into what could be his final season as head coach with a first-time defensive coordinator? McCarthy’s three previous defensive coordinators have been Quinn, Mike Nolan and Dom Capers. All had previous NFL head-coaching experience. Some names to know outside of The Star: Rivera, former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and former New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. — Jon Machota – Cowboys beat writer

Required reading

• Commanders GM Adam Peters’ to-do list: Hiring a head coach is just a start
• Commanders two-round mock draft reaction: Drake Maye at No. 2, but then what?

(Photo: Robert Deutsch / USA Today)