Dallas Cowboys fans are still reeling from their team’s playoff elimination at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but they got a big boost Thursday as reports emerged that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has informed interested teams that he will stay in his current role in Dallas.
Quinn, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach, earned praise for his defense’s performance in a 31-14 wild-card victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as limiting a talented 49ers offense to just 19 points in Dallas’s divisional round defeat. In his second year running the Cowboys’ defense, Quinn’s unit ranked seventh in scoring defense during the 2022 regular season and second in Defensive Value over Average (DVOA), per Football Outsiders.
Second-year linebacker Micah Parsons has also developed into a star pass-rusher under Quinn, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 and being named a Defensive Player of the Year finalist this year. Parsons, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and cornerback Trevon Diggs were all recently named to the 2023 Pro Bowl after their standout seasons.
Quinn came to Dallas as Mike McCarthy’s defensive coordinator in 2021 after he was fired by the Falcons during the 2020 season. He has interviewed for head coach positions each of the past two offseasons but has now opted to return to Dallas both times. Quinn reportedly interviewed for the Cardinals, Broncos and Colts head coaching jobs in recent weeks.
[2023 NFL coaching tracker: News, rumors, interviews]
The 52-year-old Quinn already had an impressive résumé before his recent success in Dallas. He coached the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2017 and served as defensive coordinator with the Seahawks during the height of their famed “Legion of Boom” defense that earned Seattle trips to back-to-back Super Bowls and a championship in 2013.
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