The Dallas Cowboys are losing defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to a division rival, as he's set to take over the Washington Commanders as head coach, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Quinn was considered a finalist for both Washington and the Seattle Seahawks, who went with Baltimore Ravens DC Mike Macdonald on Wednesday.
Since 2021 when Quinn took over the Cowboys defense, they ranked #1 on defensive EPA/play per RBSDM.com. However, fans were slowly souring on Quinn after a terrible showing versus the Green Bay Packers that put the bow on the defense's downward trend since the second half of the season.
Particularly, Quinn struggled versus Shanahan-style offenses, which led many to believe the Cowboys could be ready to move on. However, the door was open for Quinn's return, he just opted for a second crack at being a head coach.
Cowboys might go to war with Quinn over key coach
Now we wonder what's next for the Cowboys at defensive coordinator. The problem here is both Quinn and Dallas might be interested in the same guy: Pass game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.
Whitt Jr. has ties to Mike McCarthy that go back a long time as he worked with the Green Bay Packers from 2008 to 2018 working his way up from defensive quality control coach to cornerbacks coach (2009-2017) before ultimately becoming the defensive passing game coordinator.
But assuming both Quinn and the Cowboys want him, let's look at it from Whitt Jr.'s perspective: He's deciding between going with the newly-hired coach over to Washington for a front office wishing to put together a rebuild and going back to Dallas where McCarthy is coaching on a contract year.
Al Harris has quickly become a fan favorite due to the remarkable work he's made with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, among others. He'll be in a similar spot as Whitt.
The Cowboys and Quinn will fight twice a year on the gridiron but the war for key coaching figures that's likely already under way as we speak months removed from the 2024 season is just as enticing.
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