ESPN reported on Thursday morning that the Washington Commanders had hired Dan Quinn, Dallas Cowboys
defensive coordinator, as their head coach.
Quinn, 53, succeeds Ron Rivera, who was ousted last month as part of a revamp of the Washington front office.
Two individuals familiar with the decision confirmed the move to the Associated Press shortly after the initial report,
speaking on the condition of anonymity because the team had not yet issued an announcement.
Quinn recently completed his third season with the Cowboys. He was the Falcons’ head coach for five or more
seasons (2015-20), going 43-42 including a Super Bowl trip after the 2016 season, when Atlanta notably fell to the
New England Patriots in overtime after leading 28-3. He was sacked after going 0-5 in 2020.
He became Washington’s option after Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, a top contender, informed teams on
Tuesday that he would remain with Detroit, and the Seahawks selected Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike
Macdonald.
Controlling owner Josh Harris, new general manager and head of football operations Adam Peters, and Quinn
provide the organization with a much-needed fresh start after Ron Rivera’s four-year tenure proved to be a disaster.
Harris was determined to split the personnel and coaching responsibilities this time around.
In his second term as an NFL head coach, Quinn, like Peters, will have the opportunity to choose his own coaching
staff. It’s unclear whether Eric Bieniemy will continue as offensive coordinator, but that’s not likely, and that
defensive role is open after Rivera sacked Jack Del Rio midway through the season.
