The Washington Commanders, once more, have turned to a defensive-minded coach to turn their franchise around.
Dan Quinn becomes the latest coach to try to turn Washington into something it hasn’t been in a long, long time: a consistent winner.
He replaces Ron Rivera, who was fired after four seasons and had been hired by previous owner Dan Snyder under a coach-centric management model.
There’s reason to believe things can improve this time around — but there’s little doubt that some of the roster issues that have plagued the organization for years haven’t changed.
Taking a closer look, Commanders reporter John Keim answers three big questions about hiring Quinn, including what comes next. National reporter Dan Graziano dishes on what he’s hearing about the hire, and draft analyst Jordan Reid spins it forward to the draft. Finally, front office analyst Mike Tannenbaum grades the hire.
Here’s a look at Washington’s first hire under Harris:
The most-used word during the Commanders’ search, publicly and privately, was “leadership.” Washington wanted a strong leader.
One NFL coach who worked with Quinn said he was as good as any coach he’s been around at setting the standard for an organization. Another coach labeled him one of the best in the NFL. So he has numerous fans in the league.
Quinn coached the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020. His career record isn’t impressive (43-42, 3-2 in the playoffs), but he displays the traits Washington wants in a head coach, someone who has the same vision for the organization as the general manager.
Peters, the new GM, spent six seasons in San Francisco with coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta for two seasons before becoming a head coach.
Quinn developed a strong reputation as a defensive coordinator. When he was the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014, the Seahawks ranked first in yards and points allowed each season. But Quinn had inherited a group that had been first in points and fourth in yards allowed before he took over.
He spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. In Dallas, he inherited a group that ranked 28th in points and 23rd in yards allowed. Under Quinn, the Cowboys improved to seventh and 19th, respectively, in those categories in his first season and ranked fifth in both areas this past year. Dallas created more turnovers (93) than any other team during Quinn’s three years as coordinator. Washington ranked 29th with 55 takeaways during this span.
One current assistant coach, whose team has faced Dallas, praised Quinn for adjusting his scheme over the years.
Finding a top offensive coordinator. While Quinn’s downfall in Atlanta was his defense, the offense needs to be addressed first in Washington. The Commanders will likely select a quarterback with the second pick in the 2024 draft, so it’s imperative that Quinn has a well-developed offensive plan.
That means not only the coordinator but also the quarterbacks coach. He’ll also need to have a good succession plan in place in case his coordinator excels and quickly leaves for a head-coaching position. Washington currently has Eric Bieniemy as the offensive coordinator and Tavita Pritchard as quarterbacks coach. Both are under contract for 2024.
