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The Denver Broncos sit at 7-7 with three games remaining on their regular-season schedule. Even with slim playoff hopes, the Broncos have been perceived as an underperforming team in 2021, leading to speculation Denver may move on from head coach Vic Fangio after the season.
On October 14, KOA Radio’s Benjamin Allbright named a ‘short list’ of head coaching candidates in Denver if they decided to part ways with Fangio.
The list includes several NFC East coaches, including Dallas Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, Philadelphia Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, and Washington Football Team OC Scott Turner.
Also included on the list are Buffalo Bills assistant head coach and DC, Leslie Frazier, Jacksonville Jaguars interim head coach and OC Darrell Bevell, and former New York Giants OC Jason Garrett.
Quinn is perhaps the most exciting name on the list, as he may bring with him to Denver, a franchise quarterback.
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Quinn is An Intriguing Option For Denver That May Come With Russell Wilson
Quinn, rumored as a possible successor to Fangio in Denver, is intriguing, if not a little curious.
The Broncos already have a defensive-minded coach at the helm, and Quinn would be of a similar ilk. However, Quinn does have an impressive resume, including experience as a head coach with the Atlanta Falcons to go along with his time as Seattle Seahawks DC in the Legion of Boom era.
Quinn, current DC in Dallas, has led an opportunistic and attacking defense with the Cowboys.
Entering Week 16, the Cowboys are tied with the Indianapolis Colts in forced turnovers (31) and lead the league in interceptions (23). While only nine teams in the NFL have given up more passing yards than the Cowboys, they’ve yielded just 18 touchdown passes, tied for 5th best in the league. Also, according to Pro Football Reference, Quinn’s defense keeps opposing offenses off the field, as Dallas boasts just 5.4 plays against the per drive, which is tied for the top spot in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.
Bringing in Quinn to Denver could also help fill the Broncos’ most giant hole, a franchise quarterback.
A report from insider Jordan Schultz on December 8 said that current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a move to Denver.
A November 23 Erick Trickel story from SI.com elaborated on Allbright and Schultz’s reports, stating that bringing in Quinn would increase Denver’s chances at landing Wilson.
“Hiring Quinn to replace Fangio would also be a big recruiting tool to entice Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, to bring his talents to the Mile High City,” Trickle wrote. “This is why Quinn-to-Denver, despite it not being the type of offensive-minded coach most Broncos covet, makes a lot of sense. Quinn and Wilson are good friends, so do the math.”
Quinn Has Connection With Broncos GM
Connecting the dots between the Broncos and Quinn, even more are his ties with current GM in Denver, George Paton.
While Quinn was riding high as DC with Seattle in 2014, he became one of the most enticing head coaching candidates in the NFL. At the time, Quinn had interest from several NFL teams needing a head coach but hoped to link up with Paton as a GM/HC combo somewhere, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on January 3, 2015.
In the end, Paton decided to stay in Minnesota, and Quinn ended up in Atlanta, where he’d help lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl in just his second season as head coach.
Quinn would spend parts of six seasons leading the Falcons, finishing with a 43-42 record before being fired after Week 5 of the 2020 season.
While Quinn fell out of favor in Atlanta, some like SI.com’s Conor Orr back on October 11, 2020, believed the Falcons’ failings weren’t all on Quinn.
“By all accounts, this was the same coach for which the team went on a frantic 6-2 run to save the end of last season. This was a coach who brought the franchise to one of its two Super Bowls,” Orr wrote. “This was the person who was willing to put the work in every day to satisfy the Sisyphean task of recovering from that infamous Super Bowl loss to the Patriots.”
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