The final grades are in. All eight NFL head coaching vacancies were filled after the Washington Commanders hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Thursday.
Who received the highest grade? CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin graded all eight hires. Like everyone, Benjamin was a big fan of the Chargers’ hiring Jim Harbaugh and gave them an “A” for the move.
However, Benjamin wasn’t a big fan of Washington hiring Quinn, giving them a “D+.”
Here are Benjamin’s thoughts:
Washington was right to part ways with Ron Rivera after four tough but ultimately middling seasons, but to go from one aging defensively minded retread to another is curious considering how forward-thinking the organization appeared to be, welcoming both new ownership and front-office leadership. Quinn oversaw an opportunistic “D” with the Cowboys, no doubt, and he’s approached the mountaintop before, taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 2016. He also went just 18-23 with zero playoff bids after that. Perhaps his experience will help ground a rebuilding team, but this hardly registers as an inspiring, innovative move.
Hey, at least it was a “D+” and not a “D.”
Here’s an interesting thought: Executives, coaches, players and former players around the NFL weighed in on Quinn’s hiring and loved the move for both sides. Quinn is much more respected than some realize. Is it recency bias due to Dallas’ blowout loss to Green Bay in the NFC wild-card round? Or is it because Washington hired him?
Also, Benjamin gave the Falcons a “B” for hiring Raheem Morris. Why the disparity? Quinn’s defenses in each of the past three seasons finished in the top five of defensive DVOA, per FTN. Morris, also hired in 2021 as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, oversaw units that finished third, 18th and 22nd in defensive DVOA during the same period.
Quinn is often called a retread. Morris is a retread, too, if we go by those terms. Quinn’s record in five-plus seasons as Atlanta’s head coach was 43-42. He also took his team to the Super Bowl. Morris was Tampa Bay’s head coach for three seasons and also had a stint as Atlanta’s interim coach in 2020 — replacing Quinn — and has a 21-38 record. Both have won Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator.
Morris deserved another opportunity. So did Quinn.
So, what’s the bias? There’s clearly a bias.