ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders have selected Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn to lead the franchise. The team confirmed to WUSA9 they reached a verbal agreement with Quinn Thursday.
Quinn just completed his third season with the Cowboys. He was the Falcons' head coach for five-plus seasons (2015-20), going 43-42 with a Super Bowl berth after the 2016 season. Before that, Quinn was defensive coordinator in Seattle in 2013 and 2014 when the Seahawks made back-to-back Super Bowls.
The new Commanders coach also has a tie to the Maryland region. Quinn attended Salisbury University and played football for the school as a defensive lineman from 1990-1993, as well as lettering twice in track and field. He was football team captain in both '92 and '93, and was inducted into the Salisbury State Athetic Hall of Fame in 2005. Quinn got his coaching start in the Commonwealth, working as the defensive line coach at the College of William and Mary in 1994, and then spent one season at Virginia Military Institute in 1995.
The search for the 31st coach in Washington franchise history began in January, when team leadership announced it was parting ways with Ron Rivera. Majority owner Josh Harris brought in sports executives Bob Myers and Rick Spielman to aid in the search before adding new general manager Adam Peters to the team.
Following news of Rivera's dismissal from the team, Harris promised a "thorough but rapid" search process. That process included interviews with several candidates from across the league from Eric Bieniemy to Raheem Morris, Bobby Slowik, Ben Johnson and others.
This is not the first time Washington has chosen a Dallas alum to call the shots. In 1994, Norv Turner was named Washington's head coach, on the heels of back-to-back Super Bowl wins as Dallas' offensive coordinator.
Now that the head coaching vacancy is filled, the team turns its focus on to the NFL Draft. The Commanders have secured the No. 2 overall pick. The future of quarterback Sam Howell is up in the air now that organizational changes are complete. The team also needs help at edge rusher, after trading away Montez Sweat and Chase Young. Another priority would be rebuilding the offensive line.
"We have a ton of draft capital. We have cap space, and we have an ownership that is committed to winning," Peters told WUSA9 Sports Director Chick Hernandez. "So it's for a person like me in my position I've been very lucky to have some opportunities."
Peters said the team is ready to turn things around. With Quinn in as head coach, a key piece of the puzzle is now in place to do that.
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