Dan Quinn, Cowboys Agree to Reported 3-Year Contract as New DC

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a deal with former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn to make him their new defensive coordinator, the team announced Monday.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported his contract will run for three years.

The Falcons fired Quinn in October, ending his tenure after 85 games. Prior to his arrival in Atlanta, he was the Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014.

His time with the Falcons ended in ignominious fashion as the team suffered improbable collapses to the Cowboys and Chicago Bears in back-to-back weeks. To some extent, he'll never live down throwing away a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, either.

As a defensive coordinator, though, Quinn oversaw a unit that ranked first in points and yards allowed two years in a row.

Now, he's moving to a franchise that surrendered 386.4 yards and 29.6 points per game. As much as Dak Prescott's season-ending ankle injury hurt the Cowboys' postseason hopes, their inability to stop anybody was a far bigger problem throughout the year.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Todd Archer provided some more context for why Dallas jettisoned Mike Nolan as its defensive coordinator:

"Owner and general manager Jerry Jones was eager to move away from the scheme the Cowboys used in [head coach Mike] McCarthy's first year because he thought it was too simplistic. Nolan brought a hybrid defense that would use multiple coverages and disguises that would confuse offenses, but that never really happened.

"Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Nolan and the defensive staff had to implement their new defense virtually, without any benefit of on-field work until a shortened training camp began. The early results were disastrous, with the Cowboys allowing at least 34 points in five of the first six games."

Schefter and Archer explained that Quinn's 4-3 scheme matches how the Cowboys were operating for years before Nolan ran the defense.

In Seattle, Quinn undoubtedly benefited from working at the height of the Legion of Boom era. He won't have Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas prowling the secondary this time around.

Between that and his final season in Atlanta, Quinn will likely have some skeptics about his new role. Coaching the Cowboys defense will be an opportunity for him to prove his proficiency on the sideline.