Dallas Cowboys: 3 best storylines to watch on Hard Knocks

3. Dan Quinn’s new defense

The Dallas Cowboys have made plenty of changes in the offseason in regards to their defense. For starters, they brought former Atlanta Falcons’ head coach and Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to take control of this defense.

Quinn has experience leading top defenses in the NFL. In 2013 as the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks, they had one of, if not, the best defense in the league. This defense ranked first in points allowed per game (15.9), first in passing yards allowed, and first in yards allowed. Then, in 2014, they finished first again in points allowed per game (17.3), second in yards allowed, and first in rushing yards allowed.

Although Quinn had playmakers like linebacker Bobby Wagner, safety Kam Chancellor, safety Earl Thomas, and cornerback Richard Sherman, there’s no reason why the new Cowboys’ defensive coordinator can’t make this defense better than a season ago. He even has experience leading his defense to a Super Bowl.

As a result, it’s going to be interesting to see just how he coaches this defense. He brought over some of his former players from the Falcons like safety Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee. Additionally, the Dallas Cowboys drafted eight defensive players in the 2021 NFL Draft.

With the addition of many pieces on defense plus linebacker Leighton Vander-Esch, linebacker Jaylon Smith, cornerback Trevon Diggs and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, Quinn has plenty of assets to work with. It all comes down to if he can revamp this defense and how exactly he plans to do that.