Dallas Cowboys have perfect DC replacement if Dan Quinn leaves
By Mike Luciano
The Dallas Cowboys have constructed an NFC East winner on the back of one of the most well-rounded coaching staffs in the league. With Kellen Moore running the offense, Dan Quinn in charge of the defense, and Mike McCarthy overseeing everything, Dallas has assembled an All-Star staff.
Unfortunately, it appears Quinn may look to jump ship and become a head coach after fizzling out in Atlanta. Just one year after inheriting Mike Nolan’s awful defense, Quinn has the Cowboys in or near the top 10 in most important defensive categories.
One team that has been hot on Quinn’s trail lately is the Denver Broncos, who could look to add a coach with experience and a history of success in order to compete in a very tough division. If Quinn does indeed leave, Dallas already has the perfect replacement as a member of their staff.
Quinn could be replaced by defensive assistant George Edwards, who made his bones in this business as a linebackers coach in three different decades. Edwards was recently the defensive coordinator for six seasons with Mike Zimmer’s Minnesota Vikings before being let go.
It will be interesting to see if George Edwards gets a look in Chicago and Minnesota. Bears were impressed with him before they hired Matt Nagy.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) January 11, 2022
Could George Edwards replace Dan Quinn on the Cowboys?
Edwards was the DC in Minnesota for six seasons. After finishing 11th in points allowed in his first year, Edwards reeled off five straight seasons where he finished in the top 10 in fewest points allowed. He was in the top five three times in that span and had the league’s best defense across the board in 2017.
Edwards’ impact might be best illustrated by how Minnesota has performed without him. After Zimmer went the nepotism route and fired Edwards to promote his son Adam to co-DC, the Vikings finished 29th and 24th in points allowed in both seasons and missed the playoffs.
Edwards clearly has the respect of some of the noteworthy players on the roster. Micah Parsons said that Edwards is “like my pops.” When Edwards was being mentioned as a potential candidate for the Duke HC job before, Parsons threw his full support behind him. The players would respond well if he was the defensive coordinator.
Two Cowboys coaches been most influential for Micah Parsons: DC Dan Quinn and senior defensive asst. George Edwards. "DQ is like my uncle. George is like my pops." Parsons, Edwards have discussed Duke. "I would be so excited for him because I have that type of love for the guy.” pic.twitter.com/Bd7OnqaZnP
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 8, 2021
Edwards has a history of conducting some elite NFL defenses, has the respect of the players in the room, and would prevent Dallas from being forced to look outside the organization for a replacement. It’s hard to find someone that is more capable of qualified of running this defense (other than Quinn) than Edwards.
