Former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn has been the favorite to be the new Dallas Cowboys DC, sources say

FRISCO, Texas – According to sources, Dan Quinn is the favorite to become the next Dallas Cowboys defense coordinator.

Quinn would take over the reins for Mike Nolan, who was sacked by coach Mike McCarthy last week, and would inherit a defense that had one of the worst seasons in Cowboys history.

Quinn, who according to a source is flying to Dallas for his first interview, was fired after five games in 2020 as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons after holding the position since 2015. He posted a 43-42 record and took the Hawks. to the Super Bowl in its second season.

Going with Quinn would be a sign of returning to the scheme the Cowboys used from 2013 to ’19 under Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard.

Quinn, 50, was the Seattle Seahawks’ defense coordinator in 2013-14 before becoming Atlanta’s head coach. He used a 4-3 scheme that mostly used a single-high appearance and helped the Seahawks play consecutive Super Bowl appearances. The Seahawks finished in its two seasons at number 1 in yards and points.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones was eager to move away from the plan the Cowboys used in McCarthy’s first year because he considered it too simple. Nolan brought a hybrid defense that would use multiple coverages and disguises that would confuse transgressions, but that never really happened.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Nolan and the defense personnel had to implement their new defenses virtually, without any benefit from fielding, until a shortened training camp began. The early results were disastrous, while the Cowboys allowed at least 34 points in five of the first six games.

Nolan simplified the plan early in the season, but the defense never really took off. The Cowboys allowed the most points in franchise history (473) and finished with the 31st rank defense.

Part of the problem was not fitting the scheme to the players. Defensive lineouts that had previously attacked off-field to disrupt plays have now been asked to stop blockers. Linebackers did not play downhill and were often too late to make their decisions, or were devoured by larger attacking lineouts.

In his two years as Seattle coordinator, Quinn had a team built on defense along with Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman.

He would not inherit that kind of talent in Dallas. DeMarcus Lawrence is the highest paid Cowboy and performed well in 2020, although he only had 6.5 pockets. Jaylon Smith led the Cowboys in the pack battles, but there is a question about his future with the team due to possible salary branch issues. Leighton Vander Esch, a first-round pick in 2018, missed six games with a broken collarbone and high ankle tension.

Three secondary members – safety Xavier Woods and cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis – will become free agents. So is passion rusher Aldon Smith.

The Cowboys feel cornerback Trevon Diggs and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, their second and third rounds in 2020, have high ceilings and second-year safety Donovan Wilson played as he moved into the starting lineup.