Report: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn to complete second interviews with Cardinals, Colts, Broncos

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is one of the hottest names on the head coaching boards following his squad’s second-round playoff exit on Sunday night. According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Arizona Cardinals are flying Quinn in for a second interview on Tuesday night.

Also considered a frontrunner for the jobs in Denver and Indianapolis, Quinn will have his second interviews with the Broncos and Colts “later this week,” according to Pelissero’s sources.

The second-year Cowboys coordinator told reporters a few weeks ago that only an opportunity that really “lights him up” will get him to leave Dallas where he’s “having a blast.”

The Denver Broncos job seemed to pique his interest last offseason, however, they opted to hire Nathaniel Hackett. To reward him for sticking around, Jerry Jones gave Quinn a “substantial raise,” but it’s unclear if there’s anything Dallas can do this time around with several teams now in the hunt for his services.

Before coaching Dallas, Quinn was most recently the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He took them to the 2015 Super Bowl and lost in the infamous 28-3 collapse at the hands of Tom Brady and the Patriots. His Falcons run was all downhill after that debacle and he was eventually fired during the 2020 season.

With the Cowboys, Quinn turned the defense around rapidly. They led the league in takeaways in 2021 and 2022.

Cowboys committed to Mike McCarthy

The Dallas Cowboys made it a step further this season than last season but the end result was the same – a one-score loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and madness on the final drive of the game.

Cowboys team owner and general manager Jerry Jones addressed the media following the team’s second-round playoff exit on Sunday night and specifically responded to questions about head coach Mike McCarthy’s job status.

“No, no, not at all,” Jones said about whether he’s changed his mind about McCarthy staying in Dallas. “The decision for… Our kicker was exonerated with his field goal, in my mind, I’m proud of him. This is very sickening to not win tonight.”

With his job secure, McCarthy can now focus on shoring up options to potentially replace one or more of his coordinators for 2023.