The Dallas Cowboys have turned in an 18-8 record over the last season and a half of regular-season action. After a down year without their franchise quarterback in 2020, they’ve shown they are amongst the league’s best franchises as they appear on their way to their first back-to-back playoff appearances in 15 years. Mike McCarthy took over in 2020, keeping the offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore and errantly bringing in Mike Nolan to lead the defense.
The former Packers head honcho and Super Bowl winner switched directions after one season, moving Nolan out and moving in Dan Quinn. Quinn, who took the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl and led a Seattle Seahawks defense to back-to-back No. 1 rankings early last decade has proven his value, leading Dallas to one of the league’s best defenses. As always is the case, producing units that sit atop statistical rankings leads to being mentioned as potential head coach candidates. In NFL.com’s recent list of young coaches to watch, the Cowboys had two names appear.