Tug of war between Cowboys, Commanders as Quinn pulls, poaches

The Dallas Cowboys finally lost defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to a head coaching job after fending off suitors for two offseasons. Quinn did a great job turning around a defense that was one of the worst in franchise history and was rewarded for his three years of service by getting one of the top 32 gigs in professional football.

Unfortunately, the coaching job he took was with the Washington Commanders. As NFC East rivals, the Commanders and Cowboys have a long history of feuds and hatred between the two iconic organizations, and Quinn’s hiring appears to be stoking the flames once again.

Quinn’s hiring meant he was going to try and bring along coaches he’s worked with in the past, which includes several position coaches in Dallas. Since Quinn’s been the head man with the Commanders, there’s been a healthy amount of tug of war between the two teams involving their coaches.

Here’s who’s gone, who might go, and who hasn’t been allowed to go with Mr. Quinn to Washington.

Gone: Joe Whitt, defensive coordinator

The first shoe to drop when Quinn left for the Commanders was hiring away Cowboys secondary coach and passing game coordinator Joe Whitt. While Whitt was expected to be interviewed for the open defensive coordinator spot vacated when Quinn left, he opted to take the job that was guaranteed in Washington rather than being a candidate in Dallas.

It was expected that Whitt would be Quinn’s top choice for DC with the Commanders, who moved quickly to bring in his right-hand man. The Cowboys seemed intent on taking their time and interviewing several options before naming Quinn’s successor.

The Cowboys still haven’t named their defensive coordinator and Whitt wasted no time in accepting his promotion.

Staying: Lunda Wells, tight end coach

After poaching from the defensive coaching staff, Quinn then tried to raid the offense when the Commanders tried to interview tight end coach Lunda Wells. That request was denied by the Cowboys, who wanted to keep one of their bright young coaches on staff.

Wells has been with Mike McCarthy since he was hired by the Cowboys in 2020 and the development of tight ends with Wells has been impressive. Young TEs Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson have been great mid-round finds for the team, each improving every year under Wells’ tutelage.

Keeping Wells feels like a key piece to the offensive puzzle in continuing Ferguson’s ascent, while helping last year’s rookies Luke Schoonmaker and John Stephens’ growth. Quinn was smart to make a play for Wells, but the Cowboys were wise enough to recognize they needed to keep the emerging coach around for at least one more year.

Staying: Al Harris, cornerback coach

Next on Quinn’s list to interview after Wells fell through was cornerbacks coach Al Harris. Just as the Cowboys blocked the Commanders from adding Wells, they denied their request to interview another up-and-coming coach in Harris.

This one felt like it was easy to see coming, the Cowboys were not about to let Harris go to a rival after achieving such good results since he arrived with McCarthy in 2020.

The ability for the Cowboys to take the ball away has been one of their best defensive qualities and Harris has been an integral part of that ascension. Under Harris, the Cowboys have had two cornerbacks with incredible seasons.

CB Trevon Diggs had 11 interceptions in 2021, the fourth most in NFL history, the most in the league since 1981, and tying for a franchise record.

Fellow CB DaRon Bland had a season for the ages in 2023, setting a new NFL record with five interceptions returned for a touchdown.

All of this came with Harris as the position coach, so it’s understandable why the Cowboys blocked the request. Like with Wells, it was hard to see the team parting with two of their young rising coaching stars.

Quinn swung for the fences with Harris, and the Cowboys responded by striking the Commanders out, again.

Hanging in the balance: Sharrif Floyd, assistant defensive line coach

While the Cowboys managed to protect a few of their up-and-coming coaches, they did consent to the Commanders on some of their requests. Assistant defensive line coach Sharrif Floyd was granted permission to speak with Quinn, as was defensive quality coach Pete Ohnegian.

Dallas didn’t stonewall the Commanders on every request, Floyd just joined McCarthy’s staff in 2023, as did Ohnegian. It’s unclear what Floyd’s role would be in Washington, but it might include a promotion to be their defensive line coach.

Quinn hasn’t been shy about trying to bring in coaches he worked with in Dallas, but there are 30 other organizations he can poach from instead of the one he just left. The Cowboys have responded adequately and it’s just another chapter in one of the NFL’s biggest rivalries.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire