Ex-Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn favorite to be new Dallas Cowboys DC, sources say

FRISCO, Texas – Dan Quinn is the favorite according to sources to become the next defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.

Quinn would take over from Mike Nolan, who was fired by coach Mike McCarthy last week, and inherit a defense that had one of the worst seasons in Cowboys history.

Quinn, who flies to Dallas for his first interview, was fired as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons after five games in 2020, according to a source, having held the track since 2015. He set a record of 43-42 and took the Falcons with him. to the Super Bowl in its second season.

Going with Quinn would signal a return to the scheme the Cowboys wielded from 2013 to ’19 under Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard.

Quinn, 50, was the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator in 2013-14 before becoming the head coach of Atlanta. He used a 4-3 schedule that mostly used a single-high safety look and helped the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowl appearances. The Seahawks finished No. 1 in yards and points allowed in his two seasons.

Owner and CEO Jerry Jones was keen to distance himself from the scheme the Cowboys used in McCarthy’s first year because he felt it was too simplistic. Nolan brought out a hybrid defense that would use multiple covers and disguises that would confuse offenses, but that never actually happened.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Nolan and the defensive staff had to deploy their new defenses virtually, without any benefit from fieldwork, until a shortened training camp began. Initial results were disastrous, with the Cowboys conceding at least 34 points in five of the first six games.

Nolan simplified the schedule early in the season, but the defense never really held up. The Cowboys received the most points in franchise history (473) and finished in 31st rank.

Part of the problem was that the schedule didn’t fit the players. Defensive linemen used to attacking the field to disrupt play were now asked to hold up blockers. Linebackers didn’t play downhill and were often too late to make their decisions or swallowed up by bigger attacking linemen.

In his two years as Seattle coordinator, Quinn had a team built on defense that included Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman.

He wouldn’t inherit that kind of talent in Dallas. DeMarcus Lawrence is the highest paid cowboy and performed well in 2020, although he only had 6.5 sacks. Jaylon Smith led the Cowboys in tackles, but there is some doubt about his future with the team due to potential salary limit issues. Leighton Vander Esch, a first-round pick in 2018, missed six games with a broken collarbone and a high ankle sprain.

Three members of the secondary – security Xavier Woods and cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis – will become free agents. Pass-rusher Aldon Smith too.

The Cowboys feel cornered Trevon Diggs and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, their second and third round picks in 2020, have high ceilings, and second-year safety Donovan Wilson played when he got to the starting line-up.