Why Commanders’ fans aren’t excited by Dan Quinn.
Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, is a finalist to lead the Washington Commanders as their head coach in the future. The final Dallas coordinator to take the helm as head coach of Washington in 1994 was Norv Turner.
Quinn had just concluded his second interview with the Commanders when Ben Johnson withdrew his name from consideration for the coaching position in Washington on Tuesday. All of a sudden, it seemed as though Quinn was a legitimate candidate for the position.
Quinn has been the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Before that, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons. His work as the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator from 2013-14 led to his only head coaching opportunity in Atlanta. Quinn turned around the Dallas defense. Players love him. Micah Parsons jokingly said he’d go wherever Quinn went. Unfortunately for Washington, that’s not possible. But, as we’ve learned over the past week, Quinn is not a popular choice amongst Washington fans.
Why? He is not Johnson, to start. The 2013 coaching staff graphic, which includes four current head coaches—including one Super Bowl winner (Sean McVay) and another who has appeared in multiple Super Bowls (Kyle Shanahan)—has left Commanders’ fans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Second, an offensive coach is what Washington supporters desire. Is it fair to blame them? Fans hope the Commanders select a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft and that the quarterback and new head coach will play together in the same system for many years.
Thirdly, the addition of another former Dallas coordinator hasn’t exactly thrilled Commanders supporters. Whether it was a good or bad performance in a crushing loss to the Packers in the NFC wild-card round, that was Quinn and the Cowboys’ last memory.
The word that fans use most frequently to describe Quinn is retread. That isn’t totally accurate. Quinn makes a fantastic coach. GM Adam Peters emphasized that Quinn’s leadership qualities among men were crucial in his choice of the team’s next head coach.
