And then there were none. When the NFL offseason began, there were eight head coaching vacancies, with the Washington Commanders lingering as the final franchise set to make their new hire.
Names like Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh, and Mike Vrabel dominated the early airwaves when it came to lining up top head coaching candidates, but the Commanders were seemingly never interested in any of those experienced football coaches. Yet, this could prove to be an interesting decision years later, as the Commanders did end up hiring someone with previous NFL head coaching experience.
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Washington Commanders hire Dan Quinn to be new head coach
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Washington Commanders are hiring Dan Quinn as their next head coach. With Adam Peters hired to be the general manager and now Quinn on board as the head coach, the Commanders can move on with their offseason, determining their next big move, which is sure to include finding a new franchise quarterback.
Quinn’s arrival not only has the potential to help the Commanders lead a quick turnaround, his absence will also be felt by Washington’s NFC East rivals, with the Dallas Cowboys now needing to replace their defensive coordinator. Quinn’s loss is a big one for Dallas, considering they’ve ranked fifth in the NFL in points allowed each of the past two seasons.
While Ron Rivera was also a defensive-minded head coach, the new power structure in Washington clearly felt like Quinn was more equipped for the job. After coaching parts of six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, where Quinn compiled a 43-42 record, he gets a rare second chance to lead a new team. The first time around, he was able to get the Falcons to the Super Bowl. If he does the same with the Commanders, it’s safe to suggest Quinn’s time in Washington would have to be viewed as a success.
