Dallas Coach Search: Cowboys No. 1 Priority Revealed - FISH PODCAST

Dallas Coach Search: Cowboys No. 1 Priority Revealed for Dan Quinn Replacement - FISH PODCAST

FRISCO - With Dan Quinn accepting a job as head coach of the Washington Commanders, the Dallas Cowboys are suddenly in the market for a new defensive coordinator.

And there is a common thread that runs through the resumes of most of the candidates.

Quinn was previously the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons before coming to Dallas. That's a key piece of info, because ...

If Joe Whitt joins Quinn in Washington (see "attached at the hip''), Al Harris could stay in Dallas and be a prime candidate to be the team's next defensive coordinator, much to Trevon Diggs' delight.

But Harris would be a rookie defensive coordinator and play-caller. Head coach Mike McCarthy's lame-duck status is a problem - and we bet he'd rather attach his wagon to someone like Ron Rivera or Mike Zimmer than a rookie coordinator. (CowboysSI.com broke the story of the coming Rivera "visit'' here and we have the scoop on Zimmer's interest here.)

Brandon Staley? Mike Vrabel? What do these names - along with Quinn and predecessor/McCarthy's first hire Mike Nolan have in common?

Not only have they been coordinators - they've been head coaches. Harris, of course, has been neither. McCarthy has a right to want that. Oh, and the Jones have a history of leaning that way, anyway.

In the end, Dallas doesn't need to just "find the right guy.'' It's about a complex fit ... with opinions and options even being served up from everywhere - but with a key resume item obviously serving as a driving force.

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