Is Dan Quinn ready for another head coaching job? | Inside Coverage
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz is joined by senior NFL reporters Jori Epstein and Charles Robinson to discuss the Cowboys defensive coordinator’s chances of landing another lead role and what type of team would be the right fit. Hear the full conversation on “Inside Coverage” - part of the “Zero Blitz” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
[AUDIO LOGO]
JASON FITZ: Jori, you know this Cowboys team incredibly well And I'm looking at the Cowboys. And every week, I'm hearing Dan Quinn, Dan Quinn, Dan Quinn.
I'm looking at the Cowboys right now in that defense. And I'm asking myself, is Dan Quinn suddenly becoming a head coaching candidate again? I know it didn't go right the first time. But we've seen plenty of coaches get a second chance. And as good as that Cowboys defense is, other than the weird hiccup against Arizona, I just-- I wonder if there's steam, even though we're in an offensive league now.
JORI EPSTEIN: I think the word suddenly is where I would disagree. He's been a head coaching candidate now, going into his third offseason this year. And last year, he chose not to pursue a lot of the opportunities. And the year before that, there were-- the positions he wanted, he didn't get. And then, he chose to take himself out of the running for some of the others.
And this is a guy who I think has changed the way he coaches, both from a scheme standpoint and a management standpoint. And he's someone who came in, this defense was not doing well. They were not doing well on the field. They were one of the worst run defenses and scoring defenses in 2020.
And then, he comes in. And all of a sudden, they just skyrocket up. They've led the league in takeaways the last two years, which no longer seems like a fluke. They're the first team to repeat that title since the Steelers in 1972 to 1974. I definitely think he will garner head coaching interest again this offseason.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Jori hit it perfectly. He's absolutely going to be a hot candidate. He's absolutely, I think, worth it, knowing how things unraveled in Atlanta, was unfortunate. There were struggles with the front office. I think Arthur Blank did a really poor job of managing relationships in the building.
When you sit there and you look externally, what makes sense for him, I think it would have to be a-- I think it would have to be a franchise where you have a veteran level quarterback who you can afford to rotate out offensive coordinators with that guy. You have to have a quarterback who is on a level where he can function and play at a high level. And in a way, teach the next coordinator who comes in to work with him, because all those high level quarterbacks, the best ones, are going to constantly lose offensive coordinators over the expanse of their careers.
So I don't know. I think you'd have to-- is it the Chargers? Do you do it again?
