The Dallas Cowboys are going through a lot of changes, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
For the foreseeable future, the Cowboys’ nemesis, the Washington Commanders, will be seeing their former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, twice a year as their head coach. In addition, he appointed Joe Whitt Jr. as Washington’s new defensive coordinator and secondary coach for passing games.
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Quinn was a major factor in the Cowboys defense’s turnaround, as they allowed 29.6 points per game in 2020. When he was the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, the defense finished in the top 10 in terms of points allowed, coming in fifth in 2023. In addition, the Cowboys tied for 12th place in turnovers and seventh in total yards allowed. The Associated Press awarded him Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021.
Dan Quinn expressed his gratitude to Coach Mike McCarthy, Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and the whole Dallas Cowboys organization for the last three seasons. “In a very short period of time, the players, coaching staff, and everyone else in the organization became family.” Although Adam, the ownership group, and I have a big task ahead of us, we’re all working together to reach our goal of regularly contending for Super Bowls year after year.
It’s probable that they will run across some of their former teammates—Dante Fowler Jr., in particular—who is expected to test free agency with Quinn while standing on the Commanders’ sideline.
Quinn and Fowler have a long history together. He mentored the former Florida third overall pick and then played for him with the Atlanta Falcons. After a while, Quinn guided Fowler to the Cowboys, where he spent two seasons with 10 sacks.
Going to the Commanders only makes sense for Fowler. He’s clearly a favored personnel choice, and the next coordinator in Dallas may not evaluate the same. That being said, the Jones family is the true constant in their recruiting and Fowler has been a solid addition.
The Cowboys would gain a lot from having another top-tier pass rusher who can get open when Micah Parsons is pressed for coverage or is the target of the opposition’s blockers, regardless of whether Fowler remains or goes.
Dallas boasts a strong bunch of pass rushers led by Parsons, but Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes Bosa can help the group perform even better.
Joey Bosa would seem like a great target when considering all the players in the league that could be available. In the process of dealing him, [The Chargers] would free up $14.4 million in cap space and most likely acquire a first-round selection to replace him. Ballentine stated on February 7 that “purchasing him is the kind of risk the Cowboys may have to take to join the elite echelon of the NFC.”
The health of Joey Bosa bears the lion’s share of the risk. In the NFL, he has experienced more than his fair share of injury problems. However, he remains a top-tier sack producer once he steps onto the field.
Trading a first-round pick would be a significant investment and it’s not like the Dallas Cowboys don’t have cap space concerns. But Bosa would give them two (potentially) elite pass rushers and that’s worth considering.
The 28-year-old has only appeared in 14 games in the previous two years, but during that time he has racked up 9 sacks. Without a doubt, Bosa is still capable of going. But given how much money they’ve spent on a player who gets injured frequently, Los Angeles have to take their circumstances into account.
It looks expensive. After the transaction, Dallas could rework the terms of his contract to spread out the expense over a number of free years. The Cowboys could negotiate a significantly more fair cap hit of $10–12 million each season for him.
To secure his services in the long run, they may perhaps simply give him an extension. However, it might be a step too far to commit to an injury-prone athlete who will turn 29 in the 2024 season.
