Washington Commanders To Hire Cowboys DC Dan Quinn As Head Coach

ASHBURN, VA ? The Washington Commanders have reached an agreement to hire Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as the team's new head coach, the NFL confirmed on social media Thursday.

The hiring comes nearly a month after the team fired head coach Ron Rivera after a disappointing 4-13 season.

Quinn, 53, spent the past three seasons running the defense for the NFC East-rival Cowboys after five-plus seasons coaching the Atlanta Falcons. Quinn coached the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016 before being fired after an 0-5 start in 2020.

He became Washington?s choice after Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, considered a top candidate, told teams Tuesday he was staying with Detroit and the Seahawks hired Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

Controlling owner Josh Harris, new general manager and head of football operations Adam Peters and Quinn gave the organization a much-desired new approach after four years of Ron Rivera in charge turned out to be a disappointment. Harris was committed to splitting the personnel and coaching duties this time around.

Much like Peters with the ability to hire a new coach, Quinn now gets the chance to fill out his own staff in his second stint as an NFL head coach. It remains to be seen if Eric Bieniemy returns as offensive coordinator, though that's not expected, and that position on defense is vacant after Rivera fired Jack Del Rio midway through this past season.

Quinn?s defense ranked fifth in the league in yards and points allowed, helping Dallas win the NFC East before losing in the first round of the playoffs.

Rivera was ousted after former owner Dan Snyder sold the Commanders in 2023. Snyder was continually embroiled in controversies, including lawsuits from the D.C. Attorney General, investigations regarding workplace misconduct, and sexual misconduct allegations.

The 2023 season marked a low point for Rivera's tenure. The team finished last in its division for the second straight year. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio was fired after an embarrassing loss on Thanksgiving to the rival Cowboys. The Commanders lost eight consecutive games to end the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.