Sources: Commanders hire Quinn as recent coach

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders are hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to be their next coach, sources informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Quinn replaces Ron Rivera, who became once fired by recent owner Josh Harris one day after the season ended. The Commanders hired Adam Peters as customary supervisor Jan. 12. The moves report the predominant most well-known hires on the soccer aspect for Harris, who finalized the acquisition of the crew in July.

Washington moreover had interviewed Mike Macdonald, who accredited the head-coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks, as well to Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Baltimore Ravens partner head coach/defensive line Anthony Weaver and Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. They spoke to Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy early in the system as smartly.

The Commanders had hoped to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, however he informed them as they had been flying to Detroit that he did now not deserve to head away the Lions. He had been belief to be a top target by Washington, however sources all the procedure thru the system had moreover pegged Quinn as a glean candidate.

Washington’s customary supervisor Adam Peters said in the course of his introductory news conference remaining month that they wished a coach to hang “management, gargantuan verbal exchange, being in an enviornment to be valid, direct and upfront.”

Quinn’s contract length stays risky. Presents are infrequently for five seasons, though some coaches hang bought six years.

Quinn, fifty three, served as Dallas’ defensive coordinator the past three seasons. The Cowboys ranked a mixed fifth in aspects and seventh in yards. Below Quinn, the Cowboys led the NFL with 93 compelled turnovers.

“That’s admire my OG, he system a lot to me — on tale of or now not it’s now not upright about soccer,” Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons informed newshounds remaining month. “He does a gargantuan job of discovering ways for you to admire the game. He doesn’t upright contend with me admire a player, he treats me nearly admire a chum. He’s all the time there for me after I could perhaps well like him and we’re now not paralyzed to hang these exhausting conversations, whether or now not or now not it’s father to son or player to coach. Dan’s my guy.”

Rivera is a chance to interchange Quinn in Dallas, as sources informed ESPN that the Cowboys will meet with the earlier long-established Commanders coach. Longtime Mike McCarthy assistant Joe Whitt Jr., who has been the Cowboys’ passing sport coordinator, may perhaps well be the head in-house candidate. Whitt possible shall be up for the job in Washington as smartly, one source said.

Other probabilities comprise Cowboys secondary coach Al Harris and their defensive line coach Aden Durde, who spent six years coaching under Quinn in Atlanta and Dallas.

Quinn had previously served because the Atlanta Falcons‘ head coach from 2015 to 2020, taking the Falcons to the Sizable Bowl after the 2016 season, when they lost to the Contemporary England Patriots in past traditional time after main 28-3.

Atlanta won a mixed 10 video games in two seasons before his arrival. The Falcons went 29-19 in Quinn’s first three seasons as coach.

“He is by a ways no doubt one of my well-liked head coaches,” said earlier school Atlanta guard Chris Chester, who played two seasons with Quinn and moreover spent four years with Washington. He played 11 years in the NFL. “His vitality became once constant. … That became once a exchange in my career. Up till that time it became once extra used coaching and when it became once harmful the building felt heavy. [Under Quinn] we really took harmful video games and flushed them and moved on. It is now not admire the building became once in a gray cloud or a fog.”

But Atlanta became once 14-23 in his final two-plus seasons. He executed 43-42 total and 3-2 in the postseason.

Worn Washington tight cease Logan Paulsen, now an analyst with the crew, said “the repute I loved the most working became once potentially in Atlanta with Dan Quinn.” He played for five teams over 10 seasons, including one with the Falcons. Paulsen said this on tale of he said Quinn became once “gargantuan” at motivating and with his verbal exchange and being in-synch with his vision.

Earlier than his time in Atlanta, Quinn became once the defensive coordinator for two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. There, his defenses ranked first in aspects and yards allowed every season.

Dallas ranked fifth in yards and scoring this season. The Cowboys had been in the head 10 in scoring defense in every of Quinn’s three years.

Quinn can hang rather quite loads of work to enact in Washington. The Commanders executed 4-13 remaining season, haven’t had a winning file since 2016 and haven’t won a playoff sport since the 2005 season.

But the Commanders contain the No. 2 make a selection in the 2024 draft, the build they can draft their quarterback of the future, and must unruffled contain five picks in the head 100. They moreover hang roughly $70 million in on hand cap jam, with the flexibility to make no now not up to $15 million extra by releasing diversified avid gamers.

ESPN’s Todd Archer contributed to this file.