Commanders pick Cowboys’ Quinn for head coach
The Washington Commanders will name Dan Quinn as their head coach, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
The Commanders, who fired Ron Rivera at the end of a 4-13 season in 2023, were the only team that had yet to hire a head coach among the eight openings this winter.
Quinn, 53, will jump to Washington from the
NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys, where he served as the defensive coordinator since 2021. He was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-20 and tallied a 43-42 record in five-plus seasons.
He led the Falcons to Super Bowl LI following an 11-5 regular season in 2016. The Falcons took a 28-3 lead in the third quarter but couldn’t score again and lost to the New England Patriots 34-28 in overtime.
Quinn began his NFL coaching career in 2001 as a defensive quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers and rose through the ranks in jobs with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks, where he was the defensive coordinator from 2013-14.
Many had expected Quinn to replace Pete Carroll in Seattle, but the Seahawks hired Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, leaving Quinn for the Commanders.
He’ll be expected to work with new general manager Adam Peters to improve the Commanders defense, which finished last in the NFL under coordinator Jack Del Rio in overall defense (388.9 yards per game), points (30.5) and passing yards (262.2).
Quinn’s Dallas defense ranked in the top five in each category.
ELSEWHERE
Titans: Dennard Wilson, the secondary coach of the Baltimore Ravens’ highly regarded defense this season, is set to join Tennessee as defensive coordinator, multiple media outlets reported.
Brian Callahan recently took over as Tennessee’s head coach, replacing Mike Vrabel.
Wilson reportedly will replace Shane Bowen,
who had been the Titans’ defensive coordinator
For late results, go to the eEdition at MiamiHerald.com.
WILD-CARD PLAYOFFS
SATURDAY, JAN. 13
Kansas City 26, Miami 7
Houston 45, Cleveland 14
SUNDAY, JAN. 14
Green Bay 48, Dallas 32
Detroit 24, L.A. Rams 23
MONDAY, JAN. 15
Buffalo 31, Pittsburgh 17
Tampa Bay 32, Philadelphia 9
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS SATURDAY, JAN. 20
Baltimore 34, Houston 10
San Francisco 24, Green Bay 21 SUNDAY, JAN. 21
Detroit 31, Tampa Bay 23 Kansas City 27, Buffalo 24
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS SUNDAY, JAN. 28
AFC
Kansas City 17, Baltimore 10 NFC
San Francisco 34, Detroit 31
SUPER BOWL LVIII
SUNDAY, FEB. 11
At Las Vegas
Kansas City vs. San Francisco, 6:30 (CBS)
since 2021.
Wilson, 41, spent just one season in Baltimore, and the Ravens fielded one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses. They ranked first in points allowed (16.5 per game), sixth in total yards allowed (301.4 per game) and sixth in passing yardage allowed (191.9 per game).
Wilson’s secondary tied for the second-fewest passing touchdowns allowed (18) while grabbing 18 interceptions, tied for third in the league.
The Titans will hope to upgrade a defense that ranked 16th in opponents’ scoring (21.6 points per game) and 18th in total yards allowed (335.1 per game).
Tennessee finished
6-11, in last place in the AFC South.
Packers: Green Bay hired Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator on Wednesday.
Hafley, 44, was a defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-13), Cleveland Browns (2014-15) and San Francisco 49ers (2016-18) before his second stint in the college ranks.
Hafley was 22-26 in four seasons at Boston College, going 7-6 in
2023, including a win over No. 22 SMU in the Fenway Bowl.
Hafley coached at the college level from 2001-11 before his NFL coaching experience.
In replacing the fired
Joe Barry, Hafley becomes the third different defensive coordinator as
Matt LaFleur enters his sixth season as Packers head coach.