Joe Whitt, a Dallas and Atlanta assistant to Dan Quinn, seems more likely to stick with the Cowboys than go with Quinn to Washington. The Cowboys are turning within to find a replacement for Quinn, who signed on as Commanders HC.
According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Whitt, who has served as the Cowboys’ secondary coach for the previous three seasons, has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Quinn as DC. Since 2007, Whitt has served as an NFL assistant. Whitt has a year left on his deal, according to a tweet from Calvin Watkins of the Morning News.
But Whitt might have two choices in the NFC East. Given Whitt’s history with Quinn, it stands to reason that the new Commanders leader would consider him a top contender to relocate to Washington and take over as its DC. According to Steve Wyche of NFL.com, that possibility shouldn’t be discounted. ESPN.com’s John Keim tweets that Quinn is rumored to have brought up Whitt as a DC option during interviews. Since it would be a promotion to a coordinator position, the Cowboys would be powerless to stop it, but they can persuade Whitt to stay by offering him a job in DC.
It might be challenging for the Cowboys to bring in a defensive coordinator from outside the franchise. Mike McCarthy will be the first head coach to start a season as a lame duck, despite the fact that the team boasts one of the best defensive cores in the NFL. After the Packers’ wild-card shock, the Cowboys’ fifth-year head coach suffered a severe blow to his job security, and it is not likely that he will be extended.
Whitt, 45, played with the Packers for ten seasons (2009–18) before joining Cleveland for a single season under Freddie Kitchens. In 2020, Quinn hired Whitt to serve as the defensive pass-game coordinator and secondary coach for the Falcons. A year later, after Whitt was signed by Dallas as their DC, Quinn went back to him. Under Whitt, the Cowboys’ secondary has played well; two cornerbacks — Trevon,
Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, and Jayron Kearse were awarded safety contracts.
Quinn was followed from Atlanta by defensive line coach Aden Durde, who positioned the England-born assistant as a DC candidate in Dallas or Washington. Al Harris, the coach of the cornerbacks, is another possibility, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Durde has also surfaced as a contender for the DC position with the Rams.
The Cowboys have ties to Commanders HC Ron Rivera, who was just sacked, if an outside hire is to be considered. Vic Fangio was hired by the Eagles after the latter’s interview. Although this course might help Rivera get back on his feet, it would be interesting to see if the seasoned coach would accept a position under a lame-duck head coach in light of his recent
