The Divisional round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs has come and gone, but the Dallas Cowboys can only watch the remaining playoff teams in disgust.
Instead of preparing for their first NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season, the Cowboys are instead moving on with their offseason process.
Part of that offseason process is determining which members of the front office and coaching staff will stay with the team ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Dallas Cowboys Owner/GM Jerry Jones has already revealed that HC Mike McCarthy will be returning for his fifth season, and the final year of his contract.
McCarthy has not commented on whether or not his coaching staff would experience a shake-up, but there is one member that can decide his own fate.
Dan Quinn, the Cowboys defensive coordinator since 2021, appears to have worn out his welcome in the eyes of fans still hurt by the Wildcard loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Personally, I would like Dan Quinn to return to coordinate a defense with the front office making an actual effort to bolster the defensive tackle and linebacker positions.
However, Quinn has fielded several head coaching interviews, and there is a big possibility he wants to be the main man on the sidelines for the second time in his career.
Should Quinn leave, it raises more questions for the Dallas Cowboys.
What Would It Mean For Quinn?
First, it would give Quinn his second opportunity to be a head coach after his first stint with the Atlanta Falcons ended badly.
Quinn led the Falcons to the Super Bowl versus the New England Patriots where they lost the infamous 28-3 game at the hands of Tom Brady.
He previously was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks during the Legion of Boom days, and ironically is the favorite to land the now vacant head coaching job there.
Pete Carroll has been relieved of his duties after 14 years, and many talking heads believe it will signal Quinn’s poetic return to the Northwest.
Quinn can be swayed by the young defensive talent the Seahawks currently possess through excellent drafting the past couple of years.
Could a defense featuring the following young stars coax Dan Quinn back to Seattle?
- Jarran Reed
- Leonard Williams
- Jordyn Brooks
- Boye Mafe
- Devon Witherspoon
- Riq Woolen
- Julian Love
- Quandre Diggs
I get the feeling we will find out very soon.
What Would It Mean For Dallas?
Obviously, it would mean the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator position would be vacant for the first time since Mike Nolan was fired following the 2020 season.
All Quinn has done since then is morph the Cowboys’ defense into a unit leading the league in takeaways since his arrival.
I really feel that fans are just being too emotional in wanting Quinn to be relieved of his duties.
Like my colleague Shane Taylor stated, the defense trended in the wrong direction, but what was Quinn supposed to do?
Aside from Rashaan Evans and a few practice squad players, the Cowboys did not address the linebacker position at all before or after Leighton Vander Esch’s season-ending injury.
Instead, Quinn was forced to adapt by running primarily a Dime package all year long featuring safeties playing near the line of scrimmage.
The rush defense suffered for it, and the blame is being laid on the coordinator instead of the personnel.
Who Would Take Quinn’s Place?
There are a couple of in-house candidates, but something tells me fans won’t be happy with any of them.
First, there’s Joe Whitt Jr., the current passing game coordinator on Quinn’s defensive staff.
He is an up & coming coach, but he was also on the same staff that fans have been complaining about.
Do you really want to pluck a fruit from the same tree that has soured?
There’s also Al Harris, the defensive backs coach who has played a large part in the development of All-Pros Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland.
Again, a different fruit from the same tree.
The best options for me (outside of keeping Quinn like I want to) would be from outside the organization.
Recently fired Mike Vrabel would be my favorite choice, but that would only work if he isn’t able to land another head coaching job after Tennessee.
Vrabel was a hard-nosed linebacker who emphasizes size and toughness in his defenses, something the current Cowboys team is lacking.
It’s also important for the Cowboys not to make a hasty decision, as many more coaches could become available in the coming weeks.
No matter what happens with Quinn, there need to be some changes on the defensive side of the ball to make the Cowboys a tougher team.