How Dan Quinn became one of the NFL's top head coach candidates in 2024
With the Seattle Seahawks' surprise head coaching change announced today, there are now seven head coaching vacancies across the NFL. The Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks are all looking for new head coaches this offseason.
One of the top candidates this cycle - at least for the Seahawks' head coaching position - is Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Cowboys' division foe Washington also requested to interview Quinn this week after firing head coach Ron Rivera. Last year, Quinn was interviewed for multiple vacancies, including the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals.
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The native of Morristown, New Jersey has spent almost two decades coaching in the NFL after multiple stops in college. Here's how he got here.
Dan Quinn's first coaching job in the NFL
Quinn graduated from Division III Salisbury University in 1994 after four seasons as a defensive lineman. He also competed in track and field. His school hammer throw record stood for nearly a decade until it was broken in 2012.
After graduation, Quinn's first coaching job came at William & Mary working with the defensive line in 1994. A year coaching at the Virginia Military Institute preceded a five-year run with Hofstra University. He spent four of those seasons as the defensive line coach before bumping up to defensive coordinator in his final season in 2000.
He made the move up to the NFL in 2001 with the San Francisco 49ers. Steve Mariucci, the 49ers coach at the time, gave the 30-year-old Quinn his first shot in the NFL as a defensive quality control coach. He moved up to defensive line coach in 2003 and spent two seasons in that position before the 49ers cleaned house following a 2-14 season in 2004.
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Dan Quinn's move up to defensive coordinator
Quinn moved to the AFC East over the next four seasons, spending 2005 and 2006 with the Miami Dolphins and 2007 and 2008 with the New York Jets. He coached defensive line for both seasons, highlighted by the Dolphins' defensive end and future NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.
He started his first stint with the Seahawks in 2009 as an assistant head coach/defensive line coach. Despite the Seahawks firing Jim Mora and hiring Pete Carroll between 2009 and 2010, Quinn was one of just two coaches to stay on-staff. Current Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was the other.
Quinn went back to college for 2011 and 2012 as the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. Those teams produced multiple future NFL draft picks on defense including Sharrif Floyd, Matt Elam, Jon Bostic, Jelani Jenkins, Dominique Easley, and Dante Fowler Jr. Quinn was a finalist in 2012 for the Broyles Award given to the best assistant coach in college football.
Carroll hired Quinn back to the Seahawks ahead of the 2013 season to take over as defensive coordinator. In his first year as defensive coordinator, Seattle became the first team since the 1985 Chicago Bears to lead the league in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed, and takeaways. The Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII 43-8 over the Broncos that season.
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Dan Quinn's head coaching experience
After another Super Bowl appearance behind the best defense in the NFL by yards and points allowed in 2014, Quinn left Seattle to become the head coach of the Falcons.
Atlanta went 8-8 in his first season to finish second in the NFC South. The Falcons went 11-5 in his second season but it was the offense of future 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan that powered the team that season. Atlanta's 540 points scored in the 2016 regular season is the ninth-most in NFL history. A historic loss in Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots ended what was one of the best seasons in Falcons history and Quinn's best as a head coach.
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The 2017 season saw the Falcons' best defensive numbers under Quinn - ninth in yards allowed, eighth in points allowed - as Atlanta went 10-6 and made the NFC divisional round of the playoffs. They lost to the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in what would be Quinn's final winning season in Atlanta.
Two 7-9 seasons in 2018 and 2019 preceded an 0-5 start to 2020. Quinn was fired after the fifth loss, coming to NFC South foe Carolina at home, finishing his six-season stint at the helm.
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Dan Quinn's success with the Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan following the 2020 season and hired Quinn three days later to take over. Since then, the Cowboys have been one of the best defenses in the league.
Dallas' defense jumped from 28th in points allowed in 2020 to seventh in 2021, Quinn's first year as coordinator. The Cowboys led the league in interceptions that season and enjoyed All-Pro seasons out of rookie linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback Trevon Diggs.
The Cowboys were fifth in the 2022 and 2023 regular seasons in points allowed under Quinn. Parsons, Diggs, and fellow Pro Bowlers DeMarcus Lawrence and DaRon Bland have kept the Cowboys as one of the best units in the league with a fast, aggressive style of defense.
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Since Quinn took over the defense, the Cowboys rank fifth in points per game allowed and first in takeaways (93). This season the Cowboys are one of the best pass defenses in the league, ranking top-10 in yards allowed (fifth), touchdowns (10th), and interceptions (eighth). He's well-respected by players and was ranked third among defensive coordinators by the NFL Players' Association.
Given his recent success against NFL offenses and the development of multiple defensive players, it's no surprise Quinn's in the mix for another head coaching job.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Dan Quinn? Track record, background on Cowboys coordinator
