Recent Cowboys coaching news have bittersweet taste
Coaching changes could be coming to the Dallas Cowboys after another playoff collapse following a very successful regular season. But while most of the discourse right now seems to be revolving around head coach Mike McCarthy, he's not the only one who could be headed elsewhere after getting steamrolled by the Green Bay Packers. After […]
Coaching changes could be coming to the Dallas Cowboys after another playoff collapse following a very successful regular season.
But while most of the discourse right now seems to be revolving around head coach Mike McCarthy, he's not the only one who could be headed elsewhere after getting steamrolled by the Green Bay Packers.
After all, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has been patiently waiting for the right opportunity and he seems to be drawing plenty of interest around the NFL. Per Albert Breer, Quinn is interviewing with the Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, and Los Angeles Chargers this week. The Seattle Seahawks are also requesting an interview with him.
Naturally, many will be quick to point to the Packers averaging 7.7 yards per play during the Wild Card Round as an obvious reason why teams won't be looking at Quinn and that's fair as his biggest flaws were certainly made evident during the game.
In fact, news about him interviewing with as many teams and having one foot out of the door in Dallas feels more bittersweet than anything. In the last two years, losing Quinn felt like a terrible thing.
With the 2023 NFL season in the rearview mirror, it might be time for Quinn and the Cowboys to move on. Let's dive into some of the reasons why.
Quinn vs. Shanahan coaching tree teams
A lot is made about Quinn's Super Bowl season with the Atlanta Falcons. Many, fans and media alike, credit then offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan for such a run, as the offensive mastermind led Matt Ryan to an MVP season in 2016.
Well, whether fair or not, there's no question Shanahan coaching tree teams have owned Quinn's defenses since he joined the Cowboys, with the latest example being Matt LaFleur on Sunday. PFF's John Owning laid it out perfectly on a recent post on Twitter/X:
This might feel like a cherry-picked stat to some but anyone paying close attention to the NFL's overall trend should know Shanahan-esque offenses are the direction the league is going on. Struggling against them is a legit issue these days.
No rush defense by design
A big part of the reason why Quinn's defenses struggle, chiefly the 2023 version of the Cowboys, is that the defensive coordinator doesn't build his units to stop the run.
Even on Sunday, the Packers basically faced dime personnel (six defensive backs) in almost every snap of the game. As a result, Aaron Jones and his talented offensive line had the physical edge up front down after down.
Quinn's hybrid defense has a lot of strengths and that's why the Cowboys have had one of the best defenses in the league since 2021 but the downside can be seen easily as soon as teams figure out the way to go is running the ball.
So, what now?
As of today, even after the embarrassing loss to the Packers, I'd bet the Cowboys don't get Quinn back for the 2024 NFL season. That being said, even though the takeaways and aggression could be missed, I believe it might be the best for both parties.
Dallas could use a change to make the most out of their talented unit moving forward with a fresh perspective.
