Broncos interview Dan Quinn for head coach job as part of busy week for Cowboys defensive coordinator – The Denver Post

Two days removed from his team’s NFL wild-card playoff exit, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn began a busy week of head-coaching interviews by meeting with the Broncos in Texas.

The Broncos announced at 7:40 p.m. Tuesday they had completed their interview with Quinn.

Quinn is the fifth candidate to be interviewed by general manager George Paton, who began his search on Jan. 10. Last week, the Broncos met with Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Green Bay assistants Nathaniel Hackett (offensive coordinator) and Luke Getsy (quarterbacks coach). Earlier Tuesday, the Broncos interviewed Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Among the 10 coaches the Broncos have requested to interview, Quinn, 51, is the only one with previous head-coaching experience, going 43-42 over four-plus years with Atlanta (3-2 in the playoffs).

Quinn is also scheduled to be interviewed by Chicago, Miami and Minnesota this week.

Quinn is familiar with Paton on two fronts: They worked for the Dolphins in 2005-06 under coach Nick Saban (Paton was director of player personnel and Quinn the defensive line coach) and Quinn interviewed with the Vikings after the 2013 season, a search Paton was involved with as assistant general manager.

Fired after an 0-5 start with the Falcons in 2020, Quinn sat out the rest of the season and was hired by coach Mike McCarthy to turn around the Cowboys’ defense.

Dallas won the NFC East and improved from 28th to seven in points allowed and 23rd to 19th in yards allowed and led the league with 34 takeaways. First-round rookie do-everything Micah Parsons was a first-team All-Pro selection.

The Cowboys’ season ended with a 23-17 loss Sunday to San Francisco.

“Dan Quinn is one of the best coaches I’ve been around,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters last week. “One of the best people I’ve been around. I’ve got as much respect for him as anyone I’ve ever worked with.”

A league executive called Quinn a “great guy and big culture builder.”

Quinn experienced his greatest success in Atlanta with Shanahan as the offensive coordinator. In 2016, the Falcons finished first in points and second in yards and quarterback Matt Ryan was the league’s most valuable player. Atlanta led New England 28-3 in the Super Bowl, but lost 34-28 in overtime.

Shanahan left for the 49ers and the Falcons’ offense couldn’t regain its elite 2016 form as Quinn hired Steve Sarkisian and then Dirk Koetter to call the plays.

The Falcons went 7-9, 7-9 and 4-12 in Quinn’s final three full seasons.

A coach for 28 years, Quinn started his career at three FCS programs (William & Mary, Virginia Military Institute and Hofstra) before joining coach Steve Mariucci’s San Francisco staff as a defensive quality control assistant in 2001.

Quinn was promoted to defensive line coach in 2003 by coach Dennis Erickson and he moved on to Miami, the New York Jets and Seattle for stints of two years apiece.

After the 2010 season, Quinn returned to the college game to gain defensive coordinator experience at Florida (2011-12). He returned to Seattle in 2013 as defensive coordinator when Gus Bradley was hired as Jacksonville’s coach.

In both of Quinn’s two years with the “Legion of Boom,” the Seahawks led the league in fewest points and yards allowed, beating the Broncos in the Super Bowl and losing to New England in the following year’s title game.

When Quinn was hired by the Falcons, he had final say on the 53-man roster. Paton has that with the Broncos.

“It doesn’t surprise me how much he’s helped (Dallas) this year,” Shanahan said last week. “They’ve got a real good one and I have a feeling he won’t be in that position very long.”

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