Dan Quinn has been named the Washington Commanders’ new head coach.
ASHBURN, Virginia — Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, has been chosen by the Washington Commanders to take the team’s helm. The group informed WUSA9 that they and Quinn had verbally agreed on Thursday.
Quinn recently finished his third Cowboys season. For more than five seasons (from 2015 to 20), he led the Falcons to a 43-42 record and a Super Bowl berth in 2016. Quinn had previously served as Seattle’s defensive coordinator during the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 2013 and 2014.
Additionally, the new Commanders coach is from the Maryland area. Quinn was a defensive lineman for the Salisbury University football team from 1990 to 1993. She also earned two letters in the track and field program. He was elected into the Salisbury State Athetic Hall of Fame in 2005 and captained the football team in both 1992 and 1993. After serving as the defensive line coach at the College of William and Mary in 1994 and spending a season at Virginia Military Institute in 1995, Quinn began his coaching career in the Commonwealth.
When team management declared in January that it was splitting ways with Ron Rivera, the search for the thirty-first coach in Washington franchise history got underway. Josh Harris, the majority owner, introduced sports
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In response to Rivera’s release from the team, Harris pledged a “short but efficient” search procedure. Interviews with a number of candidates from around the league, including Ben Johnson, Bobby Slowik, Raheem Morris, and Eric Bieniemy, were part of that process.
Washington has previously appointed a Dallas alum to be its decision-maker. Norv Turner was hired as the head coach of Washington in 1994, following consecutive Super Bowl victories as the offensive coordinator for Dallas.
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.
“Draft capital is plentiful. We have ownership that is dedicated to winning, and we have cap space,” Peters said to Chick Hernandez, the director of sports for WUSA9. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to have some opportunities, especially for someone in my position.”
According to Peters, the group is prepared to make a change. Quinn’s appointment as head coach has put a crucial component in place to enable that.
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