Dan Quinn’s return was best move on Cowboys’ offseason to-do list

The Dallas Cowboys season didn’t end the way that anyone wanted it to. Though they were able to make major strides on the defensive side of the ball, led by the man in question here, Dan Quinn, those strides weren’t enough.

For a unit that was terrible in 2020 (needing the offense to score more points than the average team to cover up for their ineptitude), it was Quinn’s defense that often found themselves covering up for the burden of the offense this season. When the offense failed to be explosive on more than a few occasions during the season, the defense proceeded to take an active approach, not only stopping teams from scoring but also scoring points themselves for their team.

Even for all of the progression that Quinn’s unit made, that still didn’t stop the Cowboys’ season from coming to an early close though.

Not only did it come to a close early, but it also happened on a wonky play. However, all of that can be encompassed by or isn’t surpassed by the largest overall issue. The biggest problem in the key moments of the team’s lone playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers came down to one thing.

It was all about their discipline, or the lack of discipline, in this contest that got them clipped. Finishing the season as one of the most penalized teams ever in a game of this magnitude, the Cowboys shot themselves in the foot, and that’s not even mentioning all of the other things that they could have done better. The team’s EVP Stephen Jones even commented on how penalties were a huge damper on the year.

The Dallas Cowboys needed to bring Dan Quinn back into the fold this offseason. Doing so was the team’s most important move of the offseason.

Even though those final 14 seconds in the Wild Card Game were about the offense, it was the defense that really hurt the Cowboys. All of that is what makes the return of defensive coordinator Quinn the most important move of the offseason.

You had to bring that guy back. Discipline is something that is heavily based on consistency and continuity. Bringing Quinn in not only helped propel the Cowboys to 12-5, but it also totally flipped the script for one of the league’s most inept defenses just a season or so ago. His prowess was proven as he took home the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award in this year’s NFL Honors.  Keeping Quinn gives America’s Team the best chance to hopefully further acquire, maintain, and then play with the discipline that the Cowboys truly need to potentially achieve what they are capable of.

While there could be other important offseason moves and things that need to happen, this was the biggest thing to tie a bow around. There are plenty of other things to address. But, Quinn’s return should continue to help take the Cowboys a long way. Hopefully, that’s further than a first-round exit moving forward.