Which Coordinators Should Seahawks Monitor in Sunday's Wild Card Games?

Though the Seattle Seahawks won't be playing in this weekend's wild card round, chair Jody Allen and general manager John Schneider will be playing closer attention than usual with the team looking to replace long-time coach Pete Carroll, who will be transitioning to an advisory role after 14 seasons on the sideline.

Continuing wild card action on Sunday, the NFC East champion Cowboys will host the Packers, who snagged the conference's final wild card spot in Week 18, while the Rams will hit the road to face the upstart Lions at Ford Field. Aside from one obvious candidate with deep ties to Carroll, no other assistants have been linked to the Seahawks yet, but that could easily change if a specific coordinator orchestrates a strong game plan to help lead his team to the divisional round.

Which coaching candidates should Schneider, Allen, and the rest of the decision making brass be watching most closely? Here are three coordinators who should be on Seattle's radar in Sunday's wild card contests:

Dan Quinn, Cowboys Defensive Coordinator

Formerly serving as Seattle's defensive coordinator during the 2013 and 2014 seasons that culminated with Super Bowl berths, Quinn immediately emerged as the initial favorite to replace Carroll. While some fans would prefer hiring a coach without any previous connections to the long-time coach and/or an offensive background, the 54-year old has been masterful in Dallas, coaching a top-seven defense in each of his three seasons with the team while overseeing the development of stars Micah Parsons, Daron Bland, and Trevon Diggs.

Prior to landing on his feet in Fort Worth, Quinn had mixed results in his first head coaching opportunity in Atlanta, guiding the Falcons to a Super Bowl before failing to make the playoffs in each of his final three seasons at the the helm. Much as Carroll did, however, he has advanced as a coach with two stops working for other organizations and if he can help the Cowboys make a deep playoff run behind the strength of a ball-hawking, sack-producing defense, it would be a stunner if he's not on the sidelines as a head coach again next season.

Raheem Morris, Rams Defensive Coordinator

Statistically, Morris hasn't produced the same sterling numbers as a defensive coordinator that Quinn has in his multiple stops around the league. On only one occasion - the 2010 Buccaneers - has one of his teams finished in the top 10 in scoring defense, which could lead to some hesitation from teams about his candidacy. But he deserves major kudos for what he accomplished with the Rams this season after the team lost several quality veterans and replaced them with unproven youngsters, respectively guiding them to a 19th overall ranking in scoring defense.

Now 47 years old, it has been more than a decade since Morris served as Tampa Bay's head coach in a tenure that hit rock bottom after a promising 10-win season in 2010. An assistant head coach under Quinn in Atlanta for five seasons, his experience working with Sean McVay in Los Angeles will put another feather in his cap as he pursues his second opportunity to be a head coach. From Seattle's perspective, hiring him would put a priority on fixing one of the NFL's worst defenses while also taking away a high profile assistant from a division rival.

Ben Johnson, Lions Offensive Coordinator

One of the architects of Detroit's turnaround from perennial basement dweller into a viable title contender, Johnson transformed Jared Goff into a top-10 quarterback and built a dynamic running game to complement him in the Motor City. In each of his two seasons as play caller, the Lions have finished fifth overall in scoring offense, and they made marked improvements this year jumping up to second in total passing yardage and fifth in total rushing yardage.

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Last spring, Johnson had opportunities to become a head coach with plenty of suitors interested, but opted to pass for the time being and take care of unfinished business in Detroit. Now that the Lions have won the NFC North and will enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed with hopes of advancing deep into the tournament, he may be ready to lead his own team and the prospects of coaching a Seahawks offense with stars such as DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Ken Walker III would be an enticing option for him.