Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn might not have gotten an offer from any of the three teams he interviewed with for their head coaching job. But he ended any and all possibilities of leaving the Cowboys when he took himself out of the running for a head coaching job with the Colts, Broncos or Cardinals.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was late to his news conference Thursday because he was meeting with Quinn. McCarthy didn’t reveal any details of their meeting in his 30-minute question-and-answer session, but he did make it sound as if Quinn was staying.
And, indeed, only a few minutes after McCarthy’s news conference ended came multiple reports that Quinn is staying in Dallas as defensive coordinator.
“We’re all extremely excited to have Dan back. This is big for us,” McCarthy said in a walkoff with reporters, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “It gives us continuity. Frankly, on a personal note, I can’t tell you how thankful I am.
“Clearly, Dan is in the position to be selective, and I’m extremely excited about the decision.”
Quinn took over a defense that allowed the most points in franchise history the previous season (2020) and turned them into one of the best over the past two seasons. The Cowboys led the league in takeaways in back-to-back seasons, the first time that’s been done in the NFL since the Steelers did it three years in row from 1972-74.
The Cowboys ranked seventh in points allowed in 2021 and fifth this past season.