Cowboys Hire Dan Quinn as New Defensive Coordinator

On Friday, the Dallas Cowboys parted ways with their defensive coordinator, Mike Nolan, after just one season. Since the announcement, the Cowboys have been looking at Dan Quinn, Joe Whitt and Jason Simmons. Whitt and Simmons have direct ties to Mike McCarthy.

However, former Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, Dan Quinn, reached an agreement to be the next defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. Quinn, who was interviewed for the position Saturday, was on a flight to meet with McCarthy and Jerry Jones on Monday.

Quinn will now look to improve this defense that ranked in the bottom half of the league in almost every category. His scheme is very similar to former Cowboys defensive play-caller Kris Richards as they were both a part of Seattle’s defense in 2013 and 2014.

How have Quinn’s defenses stacked up the past couple of seasons?

Dan Quinn’s Defensive Coaching History

Dan Quinn’s defensive coaching career dates all the back to 1994 when he became the defensive line coach at William & Mary. Since then, he has been the defensive line coach for many teams including the 49ers, Dolphins, Seahawks and Florida Gators.

Nonetheless, eventually, Quinn would be hired as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. In his first season as defensive coordinator, Quinn led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl by allowing the fewest yards, fewest points and most takeaways. He would then lead the Seahawks against the highest-scoring offense in the league, the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks held Peyton Manning and the Broncos to just eight points.

Could this have been due to the talent of the legion of boom or to Quinn’s coaching?

Quinn’s defensive mind contributed to the success of that Seahawks defense. The following season, the Seahawks only gave up 15.9 ppg, which was first once again. The Seahawks made the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons with a top-notch defense.

Although Quinn had success with the Seahawks, it was quite the opposite when he took over as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2015. In five seasons as the Falcons head coach, his defense never ranked better than 20th.

Quinn has had success as a defensive coordinator before, but is this Cowboys roster good enough for him to turn around into a top-10 defense?

Featured Image Courtesy of Fansided

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