Jayron Kearse says Dan Quinn’s return is ‘huge win’ for Cowboys

Between fans, players, and NFL analysts, there seems to be an agreed-upon consensus that bringing Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn back to the team for the 2022 season was one of the most important moves of the offseason. For a while, there was a chance that Quinn was going to be taking one of many head-coaching vacancies.

Thankfully for Dallas, Jerry Jones was able to get Quinn back in the building and avoid the coordinator being poached by another team. The former Atlanta Falcons head coach made a remarkable impact on the Cowboys’ defense in 2021. After being one of the worst defenses in the league in 2020, Dallas ended the 2021 season leading the league in several defensive statistical categories.

While there is no doubt that Quinn likely felt honored to get interviews with other teams, he expressed several times throughout the season that he was incredibly happy with his situation in Dallas and was enjoying exactly where he was at. But Quinn isn’t the only one who was satisfied with his role with the team. Several players expressed their appreciation and respect for the DC throughout the season. The NFL recognized his impact as well, naming him AP Assistant Coach of the Year at the NFL Honors.

Joining guys like Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse also expressed his gratitude for Quinn. Kearse was interviewed by 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning. The safety told the radio station that getting the DC back was “a huge win.”

Dallas Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse makes clear how important Dan Quinn’s return was in radio interview

It’s understandable why Kearse would feel this way. Under Quinn’s guidance, Kearse had his best year in the league, even earning himself a most-improved player honor from Pro Football Focus. The fourth-year safety started in 15 games, had two interceptions, eigth QB pressures, and 101 combined tackles. Every single one of those categories far exceeded his prior years in the NFL.

The interesting part about this quote is that Kearse is set to be a free agent in March. In the interview, he spoke about wanting to keep the group together. Is that him trying to hint at wanting to stay with Dallas? With a breakout year, many Cowboys fans would love to see Kearse back on the roster next year, but the Jones’s are in big cap space trouble.

Regardless of where the safety ends up next year, it’s clear that there isn’t a single player, staff member, or fan who feels Quinn’s return wasn’t an integral offseason move. With several difficult decisions ahead in free agency, the comfort of knowing the defensive coordinator who helped stage a huge turnaround for the Dallas defense is back looms large in the organization.