The Arizona Cardinals added yet another name of their growing list of head coaching targets, this one being defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Anybody who has followed my articles recently know that I love NFL head coaching candidates who have prior experience. From Frank Reich to Brian Flores, I’m a big fan of coaches who may have suffered through some bumps and bruises in previous gigs, only to really figure it out at their next stop.
Perhaps it has something to do with Bill Belichick, who was a mediocre coach for the Cleveland Browns before becoming arguably one of the best in NFL history with New England. No, this isn’t always the case, but you get the gist of it: Experience is something I would value in a head coaching search.
So that leads us to the next big name target the Arizona Cardinals want to interview, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn.
Arizona Cardinals could have a ringer if they hire Dan Quinn
Under Quinn, the Cowboys ranked 13th in total defense this season, and allowed just 342 points, or 20.1 per game. Dallas also led the league in turnovers with 33 in 2022, including 16 interceptions. They finished eighth in passing defense and ninth in rushing defense, while posting a scoring percentage of just 33.5%, which also ranked eighth in the league.
Things haven’t always been easy for Quinn as a head coach in the NFL, as he was on the losing end of Super Bowl LI after his Atlanta Falcons took a 28-3 lead in the game. In his five full seasons with the Falcons, however, Quinn only finished lower than second in the NFC South once in 2017, and his Falcons also made the playoffs that season.
In those full seasons, he never finished lower than 7-9, though an 0-5 start in 2020 cost him his job after the Falcons lost several heartbreakers, the most notorious of which came against Dallas in Week 2. Ironically, Quinn did enough to redeem himself in Dallas by turning around a lackluster defense over the past two seasons.
If he comes to the Arizona Cardinals, Quinn would have quite the toolbox on the defensive side of the ball, with names like Budda Baker, Marco Wilson, Jalen Thompson, Isaiah Simmons, and Zaven Collins, along with Zach Allen and Byron Murphy if they re-sign. With such names, you could easily see Quinn duplicate the success he had in Dallas.
Article Source: Cardinals seek interview with Cowboys DC Dan Quinn by Jess Root
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