Jay Glazer: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn still ‘top candidate’ for head-coaching jobs despite loss

Last updated: 2024/01/15 at 2:35 AM

BigP Published January 15, 2024

Dan Quinn has had a very productive past three seasons as Cowboys defensive coordinator after his 2020 firing as Falcons head coach, one that has reportedly put him back in contention for another chance at a head-coaching job.

But after the Packers humiliated Quinn’s defense in their shocking 48-32 drubbing of the Cowboys in the first-ever playoff win for a No. 7 seed over a No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs, the focus quickly shifted to whether Quinn’s boss Mike McCarthy would keep his job as Cowboys head coach — and whether Quinn could even be seen as a worthy candidate to succeed him in that role.

But regardless of what happens to McCarthy in Dallas, Quinn will still be hotly pursued by teams with head-coaching vacancies, according to FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer.

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“Dan Quinn is already on the list for four other teams,” Glazer said on the FOX NFL postgame show Sunday. “I still think Dan will still be a hot candidate around the league regardless. He’ll still be up there despite this one game.”

Glazer did not specify those four other teams, but the Commanders, Panthers and Chargers have all reportedly scheduled interviews with Quinn, and he has been heavily connected to the current opening with the Seahawks after longtime head coach Pete Carroll departed from his role last week.

Quinn previously served as an assistant under Carroll in Seattle and was the defensive coordinator when the Seahawks’ famed “Leigon of Boom” reached its greatest heights, winning the Super Bowl after the 2013 season and reaching it again after the 2014 season. Quinn also led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 2016.

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As Glazer pointed out, one horrifically timed brutal showing in the playoffs does not erase Quinn’s strong track record, which has continued through his stint in Dallas.

The Cowboys had one of the NFL’s highest-ranked defenses in 2022 and finished the 2023 season ranked fifth in both total defense and scoring defense. Several Dallas players including Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, DeMarcus Lawrence most notably Micah Parsons have become stars under Quinn’s tutelage in Dallas.

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