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Cowboys Coach Dan Quinn Leading NFL Best Defense?

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has led one of the NFL's best defenses over the past two seasons, but could this be his best yet?

Since being hired as defensive coordinator in 2021, Dan Quinn has turned the Dallas Cowboys' defense from a bottom-half unit to one of the league's very best. 

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Quinn took the No. 23 ranked DVOA team the year prior to second-best in the entire NFL. 

With the addition of "Lion-backer" Micah Parsons, the 2021 first-round pick led a Cowboys defense that ranked first in takeaways (34) that season - including a league-leading 11 interceptions from cornerback Trevon Diggs. 

Quinn, Parsons and Co. followed it up with an equally as impressive showing last season, posting the highest pressure rate across the league while totaling another 33 takeaways. 

But could year three be the most dominant in the Quinn era?

With the additions of first-round pick Mazi Smith and former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, the Cowboys bring depth to an already strong unit. 

CBS Sports recently ranked the NFL's best defenses and Dallas finished among the top of the list.

"(We’re) close to ready to declaring that as long as the Cowboys have Dan Quinn and Micah Parsons, they will be a top-10 defense," CBS Sports said. "Far from regressing, the Cowboys improved on this side of the ball last year, and the addition of Stephon Gilmore should only make them stronger, given the (mostly injury-related) depth issues that cropped up at cornerback last season."

With OTAs officially underway, Dallas will begin to get a better look at who leads the top of the depth charts. But led by Quinn, Cowboys Nation hopes we go from “top of the depth charts” to topping the whole NFL.


You can find Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard

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