Dan Quinn Hired as Next Washington Commanders Head Coach
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Former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has been hired as the next head coach of the Washington Commanders.
Quinn has spent the last three seasons in the DC role with the Cowboys. During his tenure in Dallas, the defense has steadily improved in yards allowed, moving from 19th overall in 2021 to fifth overall this past season. He also kept his defense in the upper third of the league in points allowed per game, ranking seventh overall in 2021 and fifth overall the past two seasons.
In Quinn’s final game, he received a lot of scrutiny for the Cowboys’ defensive performance against the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys defense gave up 272 passing yards, 143 rushing yards and surrendered 41 points.
The Commanders’ new head coach has experience in the role already. Before becoming the leader of Dallas’s defensive unit, Quinn spent five full seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons before being fired five games into his sixth season.
Quinn finished with a 43-42 head coaching record with the Falcons that included two trips to the playoffs and one finishing with an infamous trip to Super Bowl LI.
He now takes on leadership of a team that is in full rebuild mode. The Commanders finished last season with a 4-13 record. They now own the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the most cap space, according to PFF.
As their record shows, there is a lot to improve on from last year. Washington finished 24th in total offense and 32nd in total defense. Quarterback Sam Howell had an up-and-down season that started with him leading the league in passing yards early in the season just for him to eventually get benched for backup QB Jacoby Brissett. Howell finished the season leading the league in interceptions and many mock drafts have the Commanders selecting a QB with their first-round pick.
The Commanders also have several key pieces hitting the free agency market this offseason: wide receiver Curtis Samuel, cornerback Kendall Fuller, running back Antonio Gibson and QB Jacoby Brissett.
It is yet to be determined who Dan Quinn will be dealing with on his roster, but with a lot of potential to rebuild this offseason, his expectations to develop his team and build for the future are high.