Tony Romo calls Cowboys’ Dan Quinn ‘No. 1 guy’ for teams looking for new HC

You’d think beloved Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would want to be helping his former team rather than promoting their defensive coordinator as a head coaching option for a nationally televised audience to hear.

To Romo’s credit, it’s not like Dan Quinn is some well-kept secret. He was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for five seasons and after an impressive first year running the Cowboys defense, he got interview requests from six NFL teams for a head coaching job this past offseason. Thankfully, he chose to stay with Dallas in 2022, and the defense is once again helping keep this squad in games that the offense is barely handling.

Everyone has taken notice, including owner Jerry Jones.

During the Cowboys’ Week 2 matchup against the Bengals, the CBS broadcast showed footage of Quinn calling plays and Romo said that the DC “should be the No. 1 guy” that teams in need of a head coach look at this offseason.

Romo isn’t wrong, but we certainly hope nobody poaches one of the greatest things to happen to this franchise in many years.

Tony Romo said Cowboys DC Dan Quinn should be a top candidate for head coaching jobs in 2023

The reality is that Quinn deserves a head coaching job. He took the worst defense in 2020 to the seventh-highest ranked defense in 2021 (in terms of points allowed). His defense lead the league with 34 takeaways last year and tied for the top turnover differential at +14.

The former head coach also helped shape young players or guys who had yet to have stellar seasons in their careers. Players like Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Jayron Kearse, and Anthony Brown all had career years thanks to Quinn’s guidance, and they all sing his praises, too.

All of this and more is why Quinn walked away with the 2021 AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award, and he, nor his players, hasn’t slowed down at all in 2022.

When Quinn decided to return to the Cowboys, he told reporters he had “unfinished business” with this team. He knows that head coaching jobs are potentially on the horizon, but he’s trying not to think ahead. Here’s what he told Jori Epstein about the topic during training camp:

"“There will be a time when I’m definitely interested again. It’s not something that I’m chasing, because I had done that before, and I felt like I missed some moments where I was chasing (rather than) being right where my feet are and enjoying it. So I try more often to be present for the people and where I’m at.”"

There’s no denying that Quinn is having fun leading a strong and talented defensive unit. His last head coaching stint obviously didn’t end well. But if opportunity knocks, he may eventually answer. Jerry Jones needs to do whatever it takes to keep that man in Arlington in 2023.

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