The Dallas Cowboys knew there was a chance Dan Quinn could wind up leaving the franchise and that’s exactly what happened on Thursday. News broke that the Washington Commanders wound up hiring the Dallas defensive coordinator to take over as their head coach. Quinn will take over for Ron Rivera, who coincidentally is a candidate to replace Quinn in Dallas.
Make no mistake, losing Quinn is a blow for the Cowboys as a whole. He’s a great defensive mind who helped the secondary finally learn to take the ball away. Having said that, some positives can come from this.
Not only has Quinn struggled against teams such as the San Francisco 49ers — which needs to be corrected — but there are a couple of players who might improve under a new coach. Here we identify three such players who can turn this move into a personal win.
3. Juanyeh Thomas, Safety
There’s no mistaking Dan Quinn’s type when it comes to safety. He likes players with size that know how to hit. That’s how he built the Legion of Doom during his days in Seattle and was putting together his own group of enforcers in Dallas.
This included Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson who have had no problem throwing their weight around. He even got Markquese Bell on the field often as a hybrid safety/linebacker. One guy who didn’t see the field as much is Juanyeh Thomas, who performed better in coverage.
With Quinn now in D.C., Thomas might be able to carve out a role for himself going forward. Perhaps the new coordinator will have more packages focused on coverage skill, allowing him to display his talent more often than he could under Quinn.
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2. Mazi Smith, Nose Tackle
With their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys brought in Michigan nose tackle Mazi Smith. It wasn’t a splash pick that usually gets greeted with praise but it made sense. Dallas struggled against the run and Smith gave them a 337-pounder with the ability to anchor the middle of the line.
Even with that talent, nose tackles don’t typically go in the first round but Smith also boasted more athleticism than a man his size should. In the end, that might have hindered his growth as a rookie.
Smith spent much of his initial season in the NFL lining up as an attacking 3-tech and Dallas bizarly asked him to lose weight which took away some of his power. In this role, he finished with 13 tackles and a sack, which is a far cry from what he expected. He did at least record three tackles for a loss, showing he can be disruptive but overall, he was slowed down by playing out of position.
Looking ahead to 2024, he would benefit from moving back to a spot of comfort. It would also help to let him increase his playing weight since that's part of what made him a star with the Wolverines. The Cowboys have players who can take on the attacking role while allowing Smith to be the run-stuffer he’s meant to be. That might not be enough for him to quiet the doubters who didn’t like him being a first-round pick but it’s a solid step toward getting the most out of him.
1. Sam Williams, EDGE
This one is a bit of a double-edged sword. Sam Williams was the team’s second-round pick in 2022 and registered 22 tackles and four sacks in a reserve role as a rookie. In year two, he continued to play well when given a shot and had 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Under Dan Quinn, he was making progress and proved he can get after the quarterback. The only issue was that he couldn’t stay on the field enough. As a rookie, Williams saw just 27 percent of the defensive snaps and then in year two, that number only increased by one percent.
With Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler, Jr. all on the same roster, it was simply tough to get Williams out there. Going forward that could change and Quinn’s exit might play a part in that.
Both Armstrong and Fowler are free agents heading into the offseason. Keeping Armstrong feels like a necessity but Fowler might be headed out. He could even be on the short list of free agents Dan Quinn would love to sign since Washington traded away all their pass rushers in 2023. If Fowler were to follow Quinn, that would open the door for Williams to truly take off — and he has the talent to do just that.