Cowboys officially hire replacement for Mike Nolan

The Dallas Cowboys found their new defensive coordinator for the 2021 season, and it’s former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.

After a season filled with Super Bowl aspirations, the Dallas Cowboys were held out of playoff contention due to their horrendous defense performance throughout the year. As a result, the Cowboys opted to part ways with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan after one season on the job. The search to find his replacement officially reached it’s conclusion on Monday.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys have reached an agreement with former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn to become their new defensive coordinator.

Quinn is known for his defensive expertise

It certainly is an odd move for the Cowboys, as they faced off against Quinn’s Falcons in Week 2. Atlanta actually held a 29-10 lead entering halftime, but their defense folded and ended up losing 40-39. Even witnessing that firsthand, head coach Mike McCarthy decided that Quinn was the right man to lead the defense. Granted, anybody was an instant upgrade over Nolan.

After starting off the year with an 0-5 record, Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were fired by Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Quinn’s tenure in Atlanta ended with a 43-42 record and an NFC Championship to his resume.

Prior to becoming the head coach of the Falcons, Quinn previously served as the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks (2013-14). Calling plays for the “Legion of Boom” secondary, Quinn and the Seahawks made the Super Bowl in his two seasons with the team. Notably, Seattle handedly won Super Bowl 48 in a 43-8 drubbing over the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos.

The Cowboys have faith that Quinn can build their defense into a juggernaut. The former Falcons head coach will have his work cut out for him, as he takes over a squad that surrendered an average of  386.4 yards of offense (10th-most in NFL) and 29.6 points (fifth-most in league) per game.