Dan Quinn Officially Steals First Coach From Cowboys' Staff

Once the Washington Commanders' hiring of Dan Quinn as their head coach was announced, Cowboys fans braced for the inevitable. The former Cowboys defensive coordinator was going to bring with him his trusted personnel from Dallas to Washington. The first name who will reportedly follow Quinn is Joe Whitt Jr, the secondary coach and pass game coordinator for the Cowboys.

The first domino has now officially fallen.

Cowboys News: Joe Whitt Jr. Following Dan Quinn to Washington

As Steve Wyche of NFL Network reports, former Cowboys secondary coach and passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. will be the defensive coordinator for the Commanders under Quinn. This will be his first defensive coordinator job in his 17-year coaching career in the NFL.

Whitt Jr. was the secondary coach for Quinn when he was with the Atlanta Falcons, and followed him to Dallas in 2021. The duo succeded in consistently creating elite secondaries and helped develop the likes of Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, perhaps the best cornerback pairing in the NFL.

Quinn understandably wants to replicate that success with the Commanders, who desperately need improvements on the defensive end. Washington ranked last in the league both in points and yards allowed last season. They have invested significant resources in their secondary over the years, drafting cornerback Emmanuel Forbes with their first-round pick last year. Yet, they continued to struggle badly.

Commanders fans will hope that Whitt Jr. can help develop their young prospects and get their defense to a respectable level. Cowboys fans, on the other hand, are still waiting for the announcement of their new defensive coordinator to replace Dan Quinn. With all the coaching talent out the door, Dallas has a lot of work to do this offseason.

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