The Washington Commanders have an agreement with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to hire him as coach, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not yet announced the move.
Quinn, 53, spent the past three seasons running the defense for the NFC East-rival Cowboys after five-plus seasons coaching the Atlanta Falcons. Quinn coached the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016 before being fired after an 0-5 start in 2020.
He became Washington’s choice after Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, considered a top candidate, told teams Tuesday he was staying with Detroit and the Seahawks hired Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.
Controlling owner Josh Harris, new general manager and head of football operations Adam Peters and Quinn give the organization a much-desired new approach after four years of Ron Rivera in charge turned out to be a disappointment. Harris was committed to splitting the personnel and coaching duties this time around.
Much like Peters with the ability to hire a new coach, Quinn now gets the chance to fill out his own staff in his second stint as an NFL head coach. It remains to be seen if Eric Bieniemy returns as offensive coordinator, though that’s not expected, and that position on defense is vacant after Rivera fired Jack Del Rio midway through this past season.
Quinn’s defense ranked fifth in the league in yards and points allowed, helping Dallas win the NFC East before losing in the first round of the playoffs. He inherits the Commanders after they went 4-13, including two blowout losses to the Cowboys.
Washington does have the second pick in the draft, more than $80 million in salary cap space and the opportunity for Peters and Quinn to handpick the next quarterback for a franchise that has not had any consistency at the position in decades.
After Johnson pulled himself out of…
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