HEADLINES

Dan Quinn

Latest On Bears’ Head Coaching Search

January 25th, 2022 at 8:04pm CST by Ben Levine

TUESDAY: Quinn and Eberflus will travel to Chicago for their interviews, per ESPN.com’s Ed Werder (on Twitter). With new GM hire Ryan Poles now on board, the Bears will likely make their choice soon. Quinn will meet with Poles and Co. on Tuesday, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Additionally, Allen’s interview did not go on as scheduled Tuesday, Breer tweets. The longtime Sean Payton assistant stayed in New Orleans for the 16-year HC’s press conference, during which he announced he was leaving his post. Allen is now on the short list to succeed Payton in New Orleans.

MONDAY: The Bears are giving Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell a second look. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Bears have requested second interviews with the two candidates.

[RELATED: 2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Quinn has been one of the most sought-after candidate of this year’s HC cycle. His work with Dallas’ defense in just one season – seventh in the league in points allowed per game, first in interceptions, to name a few statistics – has put him in line to get another HC gig one year after being fired by the Falcons. Quinn has already scheduled a second interview for the Broncos HC job.

Caldwell, 66, served as the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 before health issues forced him to step aside. Fortunately, he’s said to be back to full health now, and it sounds like he’s ready for his next job. Between his time with the Colts and Lions, Caldwell owns a career 62-50 record as a head coach with four playoff berths and one Super Bowl appearance. Caldwell’s last stop in Detroit saw him never finish with fewer than seven wins, but he was still canned following back-to-back 9-7 seasons.

Meanwhile, Rapoport notes that Matt Eberflus will have his second interview on Wednesday, while Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will get his first crack at the gig tomorrow.

Latest On Broncos’ HC Search

January 24th, 2022 at 11:56am CST by Adam La Rose

A bit more clarity has emerged with regards to the finalists for the Broncos’ head coaching position. In an update on Good Morning Football, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the job will come down to three candidates: Dan Quinn, Kevin O’Connell and Nathaniel Hackett. 

[Related: Broncos Down To “A Few” HC Finalists]

Quinn was the only coach listed by name as a frontrunner when it was reported yesterday that the search was coming down to a small number of candidates. The current Cowboys defensive coordinator has been linked to six of the seven HC vacancies this year, which should presumably give him multiple options to consider.

O’Connell was among the first set of interview requests the Broncos made following Vic Fangio‘s dismissal. In two years as the offensive coordinator for the Rams, the 36-year-old has been impressive. The unit’s 2021 numbers are down slightly due injuries hampering the running game, but he has overseen Matt Stafford‘s first year in L.A., which included Cooper Kupp‘s incredible production. O’Connell has also been linked to the open positions in Houston and Minnesota.

Hackett represents another offensive-minded candidate, something which would differ from the defense-oriented Fangio and Quinn. He has been an offensive coordinator in Buffalo, Jacksonville and, most recently, Green Bay. In three seasons there, he has helped the team win 13 games each time, including a highly efficient year in 2020. The Bears, Jaguars and Vikings have also interviewed the 42-year-old.

According to 9News’ Mike Klis, Quinn is coming to the Broncos’ headquarters sometime this week (Twitter link). The other two are expected to also interview in person, although nothing has been officially scheduled yet. Be sure to check in on our HC Search Tracker for the latest updates.

 

Broncos Down To “A Few” HC Finalists

January 23rd, 2022 at 5:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos could be on the verge of naming their next head coach. Broncos GM George Paton has narrowed his search to just “a few” candidates, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). It’s not clear who the finalists are, but many around the league believe that Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is among the frontrunners. 

To date, the Broncos have interviewed at least ten candidates for their head coaching vacancy:

Quinn, 51, has become a consistent presence in this cycle, popping up with six of the seven clubs looking for a head coach. Beyond the Broncos, the Bears, Jaguars, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants have had him in their sights. Quinn surely has his own shortlist of favorites, one that might exclude the Jaguars since he declined to interview with them during the season. Meanwhile, the Giants job could hold extra appeal for him since he grew up in nearby Orange, NJ.

Giants’ HC Search Beginning With Brian Daboll, Leslie Frazier

January 21st, 2022 at 8:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Newly-hired Giants general manager Joe Schoen is wasting no time in beginning the team’s search for a new head coach. He has already completed an interview with Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and is expected to hold another one tomorrow with Buffalo’s defensive coordinator, Leslie Frazier. 

According to a team announcement, the Daboll interview has already been completed, just hours after the hiring of Schoen was officially announced. The 46-year-old met via teleconference with Schoen and co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. It should come as a surprise to no one that Daboll, the Bills’ OC for the past four seasons, is the candidate with whom the search process is beginning. It was immediately reported that he would be one of the key targets for the Giants once Schoen landed the GM job.

Meanwhile, Frazier’s name is being linked to the HC vacancy for the first time. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports (via Twitter), Frazier is expected to interview with the Giants on Saturday. Again, this is far from a surprise, given the Buffalo connection to Schoen. The 62-year-old has served in his current role for five years, overseeing the Bills’ defensive turnaround. He has already been interviewed by the Dolphins, and is also scheduled to meet with the Bears.

The other factor influencing the immediacy of these interviews, of course, is the fact that the Bills play on Sunday night. As Schwartz points out, any potential second interviews conducted prior to the Super Bowl could only take place if the first round was completed this weekend, something made easier by the fact that Schoen is still in Buffalo. The other two candidates linked to the Giants so far are ex-Dolphins HC Brian Flores and Cowboys DC Dan Quinn.

Giants Expected To Meet With Brian Daboll, Brian Flores

January 21st, 2022 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Now that the Giants have a general manager, their search to replace Joe Judge will accelerate. Some familiar candidates are on track to interview for the post.

Linked to this job for several days, Brian Daboll and Brian Flores are two of the candidates expected to interview, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Big Blue previously requested an interview with Cowboys DC Dan Quinn and other candidates. Quinn wants to meet with the Giants, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, but the rebound candidate is in demand. An offer or two might come in before a Giants meeting commences.

A Brooklyn native, Flores has emerged as perhaps the most intriguing HC candidate of this cycle. The Dolphins fired him unexpectedly after back-to-back winning seasons, citing clashes with management in their decision. Flores has also interviewed with the Bears and Texans during this year’s cycle.

While the three-year Miami HC has been linked to teaming up with Deshaun Watson in New York, it is fairly premature to make those connections given the numerous hurdles that would need to be cleared in order for that to commence. But an early connection to the Giants is notable for Flores, whom the Texans zeroed in on quickly.

Daboll looms as the most obvious candidate here. He has worked with new GM Joe Schoen in Buffalo for four years now. Brought over from Alabama in 2018, Daboll has overseen Josh Allen‘s ascent into one of the NFL’s best players. Reporting linked the Buffalo OC to the New York HC job if Schoen became GM. Now that Schoen has been tapped to lead the Giants’ front office, Daboll has a key avenue to land his first NFL HC job.

Seahawks Request Interview With Cowboys’ Joe Whitt Jr. For DC Job

January 19th, 2022 at 8:24pm CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks are moving quick to find a replacement for former defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), Seattle requested permission to interview Cowboys defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. for their DC vacancy.

[RELATED: Seahawks To Make Changes To Defensive Coaching Staff]

Whitt has been coaching in the NFL since 2007. He’s bounced around recently, spending time with the Packers (2018), Browns (2019), Falcons (2020), and Cowboys (2021) over the past four years. Despite all of his jobs, he’s maintained his job title of defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach.

As NFL Ian Rapoport notes on Twitter, Whitt Jr. is a candidate to take over for Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn if/when he gets a HC gig. Seattle’s request could force the Cowboys’ hand, so it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.

We learned yesterday that the Seahawks were moving on from Norton. The veteran coach had served as the team’s defensive coordinator for the past four seasons, a stretch that has seen unusually poor results on that side of the ball. We’ve already learned of three potential replacements for the role. In addition to Whitt, Seattle also requested permission to interview Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai and Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

Giants Request Interview With Cowboys DC Dan Quinn

January 19th, 2022 at 4:31pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve got our first official candidate for the Giants’ head coaching job. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), the Giants have requested permission to interview Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

The Giants are currently interviewing GM candidates, and the team seemed focused on filling that role before moving on to their other vacancy. However, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets, the Giants saw the interest that Quinn was generating around the NFL and “wanted to get in the game.” Per our 2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker, Quinn has already been connected to five openings. The Giants completed their second interview with Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles today, and they’ve already met twice with Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen. 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters will meet with the team tomorrow.

After being out of the game for much of last season, with the Falcons firing him after a bad start, Quinn has moved himself back onto the head-coaching radar. The Cowboys’ defense has improved significantly in his first season overseeing the unit. Quinn interviewed for the Broncos job yesterday and the Vikings job today, and he’s set to meet with the Dolphins and Bears. He previously declined an early interview with the Jaguars, and it remains to be seen if he’ll meet with the organization.

With Quinn on the board, we’ll surely learn of more Giants HC candidates in the coming weeks. So far, the organization has been connected to former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

Vikings Request Interview With Rams’ DC Raheem Morris

January 18th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Another name has been added to the list of potential head coaching candidates in Minnesota. The team has requested an interview with Raheem Morris, the current Rams defensive coordinator (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Peter Schrager). 

Morris, 45, has an NFL coaching background dating back to 2002. He has spent time primarily as a defensive backs coach, serving in that role in Tampa Bay (on two different occasions, including the Super Bowl XXXVII-winning squad) and Washington. However, he also took over as the Bucs’ head coach after the firing of Jon Gruden in January of 2009. He had an encouraging year in 2010, posting a 10-6 record, but the one preceding and following that campaign saw the team put up a combined record of 7-25.

After a three year stint in Washington, Morris got his next prominent coaching positions in Atlanta. He served as an assistant head coach and pass game coordinator from his arrival in 2015 to 2019. Then, in 2020, he became the team’s DC until taking over as interim HC following Dan Quinn’s firing. He interviewed to remain in Atlanta on a full-time basis, but the team ultimately went with former Titans OC Arthur Smith.

This past offseason, Morris was hired by the Rams to take over for now-Chargers HC Brandon Staley as the team’s defensive coordinator. His work in L.A. has prompted many to expect more head coaching opportunities, so it was surprising this is the first request he has received in the 2022 coaching cycle.

The news brings the total number of candidates linked to the Vikings’ HC vacancy to ten. Here is the updated list:

 

Coaching Searches Starting To Come Into Focus

January 15th, 2022 at 11:02pm CST by Ely Allen

As the playoffs begin, some teams are narrowing in on their preferred targets. Some teams don’t need to worry about the playoffs because their candidate isn’t participating, while others may just be waiting until their candidate’s season is over.

Jason La Canfora, of CBS Sports, reported that former Dolphins’ head coach Brian Flores is considered the favorite to get the Texans’ open head coaching position. He suggests that firing David Culley may have been a reaction to Flores’s surprising availability. Both firings came as a shock to NFL media, so it’s not outrageous to assume that the Texans saw Flores get cut loose and decided to make a bold move of their own.

Flores and Texans’ general manager Nick Caserio worked together as scouts in the Patriots’ system. Flores won eight of his final nine games in Miami this year, showing a promising potential. Not to mention that Flores was a factor in Deshaun Watson waiving his no-trade clause for the Dolphins earlier this year, before that deal fell through. The Texans have other candidates, but Flores has interviewed with the Bears and will continue to be a target for other teams, so Houston will likely want to secure their target sooner, rather than later.

Tom Pelissero, of NFL Network, reported that Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is looking like the favorite to replace Vic Fangio in Denver. This situation is a little more fraught. The connections aren’t quite clear. Obviously Quinn’s resume speaks for itself as he made it to the Super Bowl with Atlanta and has helped develop an impressive, young Cowboys’ defense, but the Broncos just fired a defensive-minded coach in Fangio and it’s a bit surprising to see them double-down on that philosophy.

There’s also the issue that, unlike Flores, Quinn isn’t currently available. He hasn’t even interviewed with any teams. Even when he does, it seems those teams may be in competition with his current employer. La Canfora put out a report that Dallas holds Quinn in such high regard that they might be willing to move on from current head coach Mike McCarthy in order to secure Quinn as his successor.

There’s plenty of moves to be had and plenty of time for it all to play out. Be sure to follow all our updates on the 2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Vikings Request Permission To Speak With Six More Coaches About HC Job

January 15th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Ben Levine

And like that, we’ve got a growing list of candidates for the Vikings HC job. Following news that the Vikings requested permission to interview Todd Bowles for the gig, we’ve learned that the organization requested permission to interview six additional coaches:

  • Jonathan Gannon, defensive coordinator (Eagles) (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter)
  • Nathaniel Hackett, offensive coordinator (Packers) (via Pelissero on Twitter)
  • Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Cowboys) (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter)
  • Kevin O’Connell, offensive coordinator (Rams) (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter)
  • Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator (Cowboys) (via Pelissero on Twitter)
  • DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator (49ers) (via Pelissero on Twitter)

Five of those coaches have already been connected to other HC vacancies, but this is the first reported interview request for Ryans. The former NFL linebacker has been on the 49ers coaching staff since 2017, and he was promoted to defensive coordinator last offseason after Robert Saleh left for New York. During his first season in the role, the 49ers defense ranked third in yards allowed and ninth in points allowed.

Of course, the Vikings may not be sticking with only seven candidates. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin tweets that the Vikings have also explored the candidacy of Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

Per Pelissero (on Twitter), the Vikings are hoping to find a replacement for former GM Rick Spielman before they hire a replacement for former HC Mike Zimmer. However, considering the anti-tampering rules, the Vikings only have until Sunday to interview coaches on byes, so they have reason to speak with someone like Hackett ASAP. The Vikings plan to kick off their GM interviews on Sunday, with Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort first in line.

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