New Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is not wasting time filling out his coaching staff. A day after his hire became official, Quinn found his offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, and now his defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt Jr., per NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.
Joe Whitt Jr. was the secondary coach and pass game coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys for the last three seasons under Quinn, who was the defensive coordinator.
Whitt coached in college at Auburn, The Citadel, and Louisville before jumping to the NFL in 2007 with the Atlanta Falcons as an assistant defensive backs coach. He coached from 2008-2018 with the Green Bay Packers in different defensive roles, including cornerbacks coach.
Whitt coached Charles Woodson and Al Harris with the Packers, winning Super Bowl XLV. Ironically, Harris is now the defensive backs coach of the Cowboys.
Also, Whitt coached with the Cleveland Browns and a second stint with the Falcons.
In Dallas, the Cowboys’ secondary emerged as one of the better in the league in recent seasons. Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Jayron Kearse, Stephon Gilmore, and DaRon Bland manned the secondary. Bland had a breakout season in his second pro year, leading the NFL with nine interceptions and an NFL record five interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Quinn and Whitt were instrumental in the Cowboys’ defensive success. The two have jumped to one of Dallas’ NFC East rivals, hoping to rebuild the Washington Commanders.
The Commanders are coming off a 4-13 campaign in 2013. The team has new ownership and dismissed Ron Rivera in January before hiring Adam Peters as general manager. Quinn takes over in his second run as an NFL head coach.
Quinn landing Kingsbury at offensive coordinator is a home run hit. Snatching Whitt from the Cowboys could be a huge steal for Washington moving into its new direction.
