By now, it’s well known just how much hands-on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is. That will be on the front burner this week as the ‘Boys interview candidates to replace defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Quinn left for the Washington Commanders’ job, leaving a major void on head coach Mike McCarthy’s staff. Jones himself told reporters on Sunday that he’ll be interviewing candidates for the vacancy starting Monday morning.
Jones didn’t reveal any candidates for the opening. But the fact that he’s set to take part in the interviews tells us a major story here. He’ll be making a decision with McCarthy. It certainly is an odd dynamic in Big D.
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Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator candidates
Two former NFL head coaches in that of Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers) and Mike Zimmer (Minnesota Vikings) are seen as big-time candidates for the opening. There are also rumors circulating that the respected Don “Wink” Martindale will also surface as a candidate for the opening.
Dallas is obviously aiming for experience to replace Quinn. It makes sense with McCarthy seen as an offensive-minded head coach.
Whoever comes in to replace Quinn will have big shoes to fill. He led top-five scoring offenses each of the past two seasons and played a major role in the Cowboys winning 12 games each campaign.
The favorite here has to be Zimmer. His first NFL coaching job was with the Cowboys back in 1994. He also served as the team’s defensive coordinator from 2000-06.