The Washington Commanders have agreed to hire Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coach, according to two people familiar with the decision.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the move. Washington became the last NFL team to fill a head coaching vacancy.
Quinn, 53, spent more than five seasons coaching the Atlanta Falcons before playing defense for the NFC East rival Cowboys the past three seasons. Quinn led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016, but he was fired after an 0-5 start in 2020.
Washington's offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who was considered a top candidate, informed the team on Tuesday that he would remain in Detroit, and the Seahawks hired Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike McDonald on Wednesday. It became a choice.
Controlling owner Josh Harris, new general manager and head of football operations Adam Peters and Quinn bring a much-needed new approach to the organization after Ron Rivera's four years in charge proved disappointing. Gave. Harris has worked hard this time around to separate human resources and coaching duties.
Much like Peters, who has the opportunity to hire a new coach, Quinn also has the opportunity to fill out his staff in his second stint as an NFL head coach. It remains to be seen whether Eric Bieniemy will return as offensive coordinator, which is not expected, and that position on defense has been vacant after Rivera fired Jack Del Rio midway through last season. .
Quinn's defense ranked fifth in the league in yards and points allowed, helping Dallas win the NFC East, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He takes over as manager after compiling a record of 4 wins and 13 losses, including two blowout losses to the Cowboys.
Washington has the No. 2 draft pick and more than $80 million in salary cap space, giving Peters and Quinn the opportunity to hand-pick the next quarterback for a franchise that has been inconsistent at the position for decades. be.
After Johnson was removed from consideration, Washington's top brass had to pivot to other candidates. McDonald's departure to Seattle made Quinn the top candidate for the job, beating out the likes of Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Baltimore assistant Anthony Weaver.
Quinn represents the type of leader Peters was looking for in Rivera's successor.
Quinn also has ties to the Seahawks, working as defensive coordinator under Pete Carroll in 2013 and 2014 before getting his first chance to lead the team in Atlanta. In the Super Bowl on February 5, 2017, the Falcons led 28-3 but lost to the New England Patriots.
Quinn, a New Jersey native, was a defensive lineman at William & Mary in 1994, then coached for one year at Virginia Military Institute and five years at Hofstra. He worked on the staffs of San Francisco, the New York Jets and Seattle from 2001 to 2010 before returning to college in Florida and returning to the Seahawks, where he helped them win the Super Bowl in the 2013 season.
The organization Quinn joined hasn't won a championship since 1992 and has only won the playoffs twice in the past 30 years.
As always in Washington, quarterback is the biggest question, and with Sam Howell missing 17 games as a starter, Peters and Quinn have big decisions to make at the most important position in football. It is being The No. 2 pick could be an opportunity to take North Carolina's Drake Maye, or they could decide to explore options through trade or free agency.
