It feels like a guarantee that some former Dallas Cowboys players will end up on the Washington Commanders this offseason. Whether they are currently employed by Dallas or used to suit up for the team, Dan Quinn has shown a clear tendency to sign players he previously coached in Frisco.
With the Cowboys headed for more turnover on their coaching staff as they search for a new defensive coordinator, Quinn already smells blood in the water. So much so that he is eyeing a Dallas assistant for Washington's newly minted offensive coordinator vacancy.
ESPN's Todd Archer stunningly revealed that the Commanders have requested to speak with Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells (!) regarding their OC opening. The process moved quickly, as Adam Schefter reported a few hours later that Wells completed his interview with Washington.
Dan Quinn interviews Cowboys' TE coach Lunda Wells for Commanders' offensive coordinator vacancy
Wells is a highly regarded coach. There is a reason Cowboys fans celebrated when it was reported that he would stay on as tight ends coach following Brian Schottenheimer's hiring. That came after Washington sought to interview Wells for its offensive line coach opening. The Cowboys denied that request.
While Wells' impact goes beyond the tight end room -- Archer reported that he's been a big part of the game planning during his tenure -- he's never called plays before. Quinn may see some untapped potential in that regard, but interviewing an assistant with no history of calling an offense after firing a respected offensive mind like Kliff Kingsbury is quite the head-scratcher.
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It appears that Commanders fans share that sentiment. Dean Jones of Riggo's Rag thinks the Commanders need to aim bigger.
"It would be a bombshell of epic proportions if Wells got the job," Jones writes. "This was probably due diligence more than anything else, but the Commanders must be thinking much bigger to improve their chances of a bounce-back campaign."
Quinn and Wells overlapped with the Cowboys for three years during the former's stint as defensive coordinator. The Commanders' head coach clearly respects him enough to dig deeper into what he could bring as a coach.
As difficult as it would be to lose a coach like Lunda Wells, him landing as Washington's offensive coordinator could ultimately work in the Cowboys’ favor, especially with an offensive whiz like Mike McDaniel available to Quinn after he was fired by the Miami Dolphins.
Even if Wells doesn't get the job, Cowboys fans can only laugh at this news. Every coach taps into their connections around the league, but Quinn relies on them more than anyone.