Adam Schefter explains why Washington Commanders chose Dan Quinn over other candidates

The NFL offseason’s head coach hiring cycle ended on Tuesday when reports surfaced that the Washington Commanders are hiring former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their next head coach. Filling the final vacant head coaching job in the league.

With candidates like Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, and other proven coordinators available, many are curious why the Commanders decided to choose Quinn as their next head man. Which NFL insider Adam Schefter answered, breaking down Washington’s rationale as they usher in a new era of the organization.

“There are a few things to consider here,” Schefter says. “I think first and foremost, they had the GM that they wanted. They got the guy they wanted right away, Adam Peters, and hired him out of the box. That was something that was important to them, and they got it done. And I think they were of the mind that in a perfect world, they weren’t going to be pairing a first-time GM with a first-time head coach.”

Peters was named as the Commanders next general manager on January 15 following a three-year stint as the assistant general manager for the San Francisco 49ers. And while Quinn has spent the past three seasons as Dallas’ defensive playcaller, he spent five full seasons prior as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

“So Dan Quinn checks the boxes there in that regard. The other thing is when these organizations are going through the hiring process, they make a lot of calls and they get a lot of calls from a lot of people,” Schefter explained. “I know the Commanders felt like they got more calls and more texts unsolicited about Dan Quinn with positive messages from people than they got from any other candidate. And that’s just the way it kind of went.”

The Cowboys’ defense was one of the league’s top units under Quinn, and in the 2016 season he led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance. His head coaching record currently sits at 43-42, but Schefter believes his resume wasn’t necessarily the main reason behind his hiring.

“Now, that’s not why he got the job, but it sure was comforting and reassuring that they felt like they were getting a guy that is high energy, that’s upbeat, that’s positive. It probably doesn’t hurt that you’re weakening a team within the division, though I don’t believe that to be a driving force or primary factor in why they hired Dan Quinn.”

With Bill Belichick boasting one of the most impressive resumes in the history of the sport, it is odd that the hiring cycle ends without him having a head coaching job after parting ways with the New England Patriots. But with many anticipating a front office overhaul upon the hiring of the 71-year-old and Washington already in the midst of establishing a new organizational culture, the Commanders believe Quinn is the man to lead them into the latest chapter in their franchise’s history.

“They hired Dan Quinn because they believe in him as a leader. They believe in him as a man. They believe that other people are spot-on in what they say about Dan Quinn, who had been a finalist for other head coaching jobs. The board didn’t just fall his way in recent years, but they feel like they got a whole energetic, upbeat, positive guy stepping into Washington and to try to help lead that team into the future,” Schefter concluded.