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Commanders to Hire Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as Head Coach, per Sources

The former Atlanta Falcons head coach and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator will get his second NFL head coaching opportunity with the Washington Commanders.

Kristen Wong

Commanders to Hire Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as Head Coach, per Sources
Commanders to Hire Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as Head Coach, per Sources /
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The Washington Commanders have hired Dan Quinn as their next head coach, sources told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer on Thursday morning. 

Quinn has served as defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys for the past three seasons. He will get his second head coaching opportunity in Washington after previously serving as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach from the 2015 season through 2020, finishing with a 43—42 record.

Quinn, 53, joins new general manager Adam Peters as the first two big hires in the Josh Harris ownership era. Over the past several years, the former Cowboys DC has been in the mix for head coaching jobs but decided to stay in Dallas.

This offseason, Quinn has made the jump and will take over one of the Cowboys’ division rivals, replacing Ron Rivera, who was fired in January.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn during a game.
With the Washington Commanders’ hiring of Dan Quinn, all of this year’s NFL head coach openings have been filled :: Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports

Quinn’s hiring comes just a day after Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson rejected the Commanders, which could imply Quinn wasn’t Washington’s first choice. Still, Quinn brings a wealth of defensive experience to Washington. He guided the Falcons to Super Bowl LI as head coach and served as the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator when they won Super Bowl XLVIII to cap the 2013 season. Quinn’s defense in Dallas ranked in the top five in fewest points allowed in each of the past two seasons.

Washington will look for Quinn to usher in a new era for a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2005 season. Under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy last season, the Commanders recorded 19.4 points per game and 312.8 yards per game in 2023, ranked 25th and 24th in the league, respectively.

With Quinn’s hire, all NFL head coaching jobs for 2024 have now officially been filled.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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