The Washington Commanders are set to name Dan Quinn their next head coach, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
Quinn comes from within the NFC East, serving as the rival Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator for the past three seasons.
Quinn was widely linked to the opening in Seattle, where he won a Super Bowl as defensive coordinator, but the club hired Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald instead.
The Quinn hiring is a break from the traditional "rule of the opposite" in coaching hiring. The Commanders moved on from Ron Rivera, a former NFL head coach with a defensive background, to Quinn, a former NFL head coach with a defensive background. Quinn went 43-42 as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-20, memorably blowing a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
The caveat to the above paragraph is that the Quinn hire comes under new management: an investment group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris purchased the team for $6 billion in July, and Adam Peters was named GM last month.
Speaking of former NFL head coaches with defensive backgrounds, the Quinn hire means all seven NFL teams with openings this cycle passed on the opportunity to hire Bill Belichick.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.