[jwplayer RBI6Sixg]
It’s going to take more than newly hired coordinator Dan Quinn to fix the Dallas Cowboys long time defensive woes. He is not a sorcerer, and as much as fans and NFL decision makers alike want to believe in magic, it takes more than a wave of a wand to turn it around.
There was no defensive mind more sought after ahead of the 2015 season. The Seattle Seahawks were coming off of back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl with a supercharged defensive unit that had finished No. 1 and 2 by DVOA under Quinn’s guidance. He was hired by the Atlanta Falcons and suddenly the defensive genius was no more.
Coordinators are important, but so is talent. Bill Belichick missed the playoffs in 2020 after a mass exodus of players due to free agency and Covid-19 opt-outs. Kellen Moore couldn’t replicate 2019’s magic after losing quarterback Dak Prescott and the majority of the offensive line for the 2020 campaign. And Quinn couldn’t fix a Falcons defense that wasn’t getting the resources required to do so.
Below is a table of defenses Quinn has been in charge of while in the NFL.
| Year | Team | Defensive DVOA Rank | Cap Spent on Defense Rank | No. of Defensive All-Pros |
| 2013 | SEA | 1 | 16 | 3 |
| 2014 | SEA | 2 | 12 | 4 |
| 2015 | ATL | 18 | 29 | 0 |
| 2016 | ATL | 19 | 28 | 1 |
| 2017 | ATL | 17 | 23 | 1 |
| 2018 | ATL | 30 | 25 | 0 |
| 2019 | ATL | 17 | 15 | 1 |
The difference in talent is stark. The Seahawks had as many defensive All-Pros in a single season than Atlanta did in the entirety of Quinn’s tenure. It’s possible that the game passed him by in a hurry, but it’s more likely that he was cooking up a defense with groceries on a budget. The Seahawks defense was never better than it was the two years Quinn was at the helm according to DVOA.
The club didn’t select talent worthy of paying big money, nor did they invest in external talent to boost the base. The lack of star power showed itself in the final results.
What does it mean for Dallas? It means that to expect any meaningful turnaround, they’ll need to spend some significant resources fixing a unit that’s been long ignored. The Jones family has spent its time shopping in the bargain bin in free agency and spending draft capital building one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.
It’s possible that with luck alone, Quinn and the Cowboys defense as currently constructed can hover around league average. But it’s more likely that without an influx of talent and resources, it will be the same old story going forward.
[vertical-gallery id=661889][listicle id=661869][listicle id=661855][lawrence-newsletter]