Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has been a hot commodity in hiring circles. With seven head coaches already fired and another who’s resigned, there are several opportunities for Quinn to land another promotion.
While Quinn has already had a six-year stint as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-20, when he went 43-42, heading to the Super Bowl in 2016, he’s spent the past year as defensive coordinator of the Cowboys.
In his new role, he’s helped turn around the defense, with linebacker Micah Parsons performing as the heavy favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. They also lead the NFL in takeaways. Quinn has received a lot of credit for the sudden surge, and it’s helped him get back onto the head coach candidate shortlist.
So far Quinn has already been requested to interview for the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins. Each team has interest in discussing their head coach role with Quinn. Should Quinn leave Dallas after just one year coordinating the defense, this leaves coach Mike McCarthy in search of a new coordinator once again.
Dallas Cowboys could turn to old friend to coordinate defense
One of the names who could emerge for the Dallas Cowboys is former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. As odd as it could be to have Zimmer working under McCarthy who he used to frequently battle with when the latter was with the Green Bay Packers, the dots line up.
Current senior defensive assistant George Edwards spent six seasons as Zim’s defensive coordinator with the Vikes, before heading back to the Cowboys where he previously worked for four years with Zimmer from 1998-01.
There’s also the Jerry Jones connection. Zimmer spent seven seasons coordinating the Dallas defense from 2000-06, including 2003 when the Cowboys led the NFL’s best defense in yards allowed and allowed the second-fewest points per game. It’s been believed Jones has always been fond of Zimmer and has come close to hiring him as his head coach before and even reportedly was close to entertaining a trade for him prior to hiring McCarthy.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone if Zimmer ends up taking over the defense in Dallas. It would give the franchise an experienced play-caller and one who the organization is already familiar with. For Zimmer’s part, it gives him a chance to coach a unit that features some of the best young playmakers in football with Parsons and Trevon Diggs. It might not be a bad way to start rebuilding his defensive reputation after being let go by another franchise.
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