3 internal defensive coordinator options for Cowboys if Dan Quinn leaves
And just like, that the Cowboys season has come to an end. After being upset 48-32 to the No. 7 seeded Packers on Sunday, Dallas now must assess the future of their coaching staff. While head coach Mike McCarthy draws the bulk of the attention in this matter, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is every bit on the block as McCarthy. And that’s regardless of whether or not he is hired away as a head coach elswhere.
After starting the season red hot, Quinn’s defense cooled as the season progressed. The Cowboys defense ranked 20th in EPA/play over the last four weeks of the season. Over that same period, they ranked 28th in success rate against, with 47.7% of plays against them being successful.
Dan Quinn has coached 55 games as the Cowboys' DC.
6 of his worst 7 games by EPA per drive came this season.
5 of his worst 7 games by EPA per drive have come in the last 2.5 months.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 16, 2024
In the postseason things only got worse, with the Cowboys yielding a historic performance to a first-year starting QB. For as poorly as the Dallas offense played, Love’s 1.13 EPA/play against the Cowboys defense is the most by a playoff QB in the last 24 years.
Highest EPA per play in the playoffs since 2000 (min 20 dropbacks)
1) 2023 Jordan Love vs DAL: +1.13
2) 2003 Peyton Manning vs DEN: +1.09
3) 2005 Ben Roethlisberger vs CIN: +1.00
4) 2007 Philip Rivers vs IND: +0.96
5) 2003 Peyton Manning vs KC: +0.90— Kevin Cole (@KevinCole___) January 15, 2024
Mental mistakes and discipline were season-long issues on defense. When good times came, good times rolled. But all too often bad plays happened in bunches and disaster befell the Cowboys in avalanche form. A change is likely needed and with Quinn reportedly interviewing for positions elsewhere, change is likely.
But what if the Cowboys stay the course with McCarthy? What if they want to buy time for one more year and resist big moves which require long-term commitments?
Then promoting from within may be Dallas’ preferred course of action in 2024
Coordinator Candidate No. 1: Al Harris
Harris is seemingly everyone’s favorite assistant coach in Dallas. The former Green Bay CB has been coaching for 12 years in the NFL. In his short time in Dallas, he’s produced two of the NFL’s biggest ballhawks. Trevon Diggs led the league in interceptions in 2021 and DaRon Bland led the league in 2023.
Harris’ success in developing CBs has made him a weekly conversation piece during Cowboys broadcasts. Logging more screentime than Taylor Swift, Harris has a celebrity status in Dallas and is a hot name across the NFL.
The jump from DB coach to DC is an enormous one, but if anyone has the juice to make that leap, it’s Harris.
Coordinator Candidate No. 2: Joe Whitt Jr.
Whitt, Quinn’s No. 2 in command, is the odds-on favorite of the internal candidates. It’s Whitt who fills in for Quinn as play-caller on occasions, and Whitt who holds the official post of secondary/defensive passing game coordinator with the Cowboys.
Whitt comes with 16-years of NFL coaching experience, coaching one season for Quinn in Atlanta and 11 seasons under McCarthy in Green Bay. He’s the most qualified coach on the staff and understands the personnel across the roster as good as anyone in Dallas.
If Quinn takes a head coaching position this offseason, it’s possible he could ask Whitt to come along and coach his defense. But Whitt’s ties to McCarthy and the opportunity to coach a defense as talented as Dallas’ might be too good to pass up.
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Coordinator Candidate No. 3: Scott McCurley
McCurley, the Cowboys’ LB coach, pulled a rabbit out of hat for Dallas in 2023. Not only did Dallas lose their top LB, Leighton Vander Esch, to a season ending neck injury, but they lost the most promising rookie of the draft class in DeMarvion Overshown.
The Cowboys were so thin at LB in 2023, they had to convert a fringe roster safety to fill the need. And shockingly, it actually worked out. Markquese Bell didn’t just survive the transition to LB, but he thrived. While his size (205-pounds) limited his ability to take on blockers, Bell performed as a high-end defender most of the season.
McCurley worked for 13 years under McCarthy in Green Bay. He helped develop and transition players like Clay Matthews, Blake Martinez, A.J. Hawk and even got a good season out of Jaylon Smith in 2020. He has 16-years coaching experience making him a worthy candidate even if he isn’t a household name.
