Why Commanders' decision to hire Dan Quinn is unsettling

Washington fans long dreamed of life without owner Dan Snyder, but even with an ownership group led by Josh Harris, there's reason to wonder if better days really are ahead. 

The first big decision for Harris and new general manager Adam Peters was the head coach. After firing HC Ron Rivera, Washington replaced him with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who leaves us with as many questions as answers. 

"I'm a little older, a little more chrome. Hopefully a little wiser. But I'm incredibly grateful," Quinn said Monday during his introductory news conference, via NFL.com. 

Here are four reasons why the Quinn hire may not be a good sign for Washington. 

Ben Johnson situation, Mike Macdonald rejection set unsettling tone

The news of Quinn's hiring came after NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported touted Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson opted to remain with Detroit. 

At the time, Johnson's decision was considered "surprising," per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Commanders learned about Johnson's rejection via social media. 

Regardless of the Johnson situation, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is confident Quinn was not Washington's first choice. He reported the Commanders made an offer to former Ravens defensive coordinator Macdonald, who took the Seattle HC job instead.  

Washington could have hired Bill Belichick 

Those rejections led the Commanders to consider hiring Belichick, per Schefter. While some could argue hiring a 71-year-old coach, even one as accomplished as Belichick, wouldn't be ideal for a franchise looking to inject fresh blood, the choice of Quinn still leaves much to be desired.   

If the choice came down to Quinn, 53, or Belichick, Quinn feels like the less exciting choice.  

Belichick's résumé — which includes six Super Bowl titles and nine conference championships as head coach — is unmatched. Of course, he failed to come close to the success he experienced with Tom Brady after the QB's departure.

Although Belichick has a losing record without Brady, he guided the Browns to the playoffs in 1994, won 11 games in 2008 in New England with backup Matt Cassel and won his first three Super Bowls before Brady achieved All-Pro status.    

Quinn's Falcons tenure was up and down   

Quinn led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016, blowing a 28-3 in a loss to Belichick's Patriots. However, that season was one of only two postseason berths for Atlanta during Quinn's six seasons as head coach. 

Quinn, who had only two winning seasons in Atlanta, was fired during the 2020 season after an 0-5 start. Counting the postseason, he went 46-44 with the Falcons. 

Quinn's Cowboys defense came up small in biggest game 

Quinn coached a strong Cowboys defense, but that same defense allowed 48 points to Green Bay in a home playoff loss this season. 

Even with Kliff Kingsbury joining his staff as offensive coordinator, Quinn won't be blessed with the talent he had in Atlanta or Dallas right away. And if Quinn falters early, the questions about why Johnson said no and if Belichick would've been a better fit will only intensify.