The Cowboys are set to have a former coordinator coaching in the Super Bowl.
It’s a feeling many Dallas Cowboys fans can relate to: realizing what you had only after it’s gone. After watching a couple of former Cowboys coaches make it to the NFC Championship, that sentiment is especially strong. On Saturday, the Washington Commanders stunned everyone with a 45-31 victory over the top-seeded Detroit Lions. Then, on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles edged out the Los Angeles Rams 28-22. Just like that, two former Cowboys coordinators are now playing for a chance to head to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX.
Dan Quinn spent three years with the Cowboys, turning their defense from one of the worst in 2020 (allowing 473 points) to consistently ranking in the top seven in points allowed during each of his three seasons. His defense also led the league in takeaways in his first two years, and they were among the best pass-rushing teams. From the moment he arrived in Texas, it felt inevitable that he would eventually become a head coach elsewhere, and that moment came this season when he joined the Washington Commanders. His impact was immediate. With a talented rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders had their best season in over 30 years, finishing 12-5—their first season with over 10 wins since their 1991 Super Bowl victory. Now, in Quinn’s first year with Washington, they’re playing in the NFC Championship.
Kellen Moore spent eight years with the Cowboys, three as a player and five as a coach. After coaching quarterbacks in 2018, he took over as offensive coordinator the following year, a role he held for four seasons. Under his leadership, the Cowboys’ offense ranked first in total yards in two of those years. Despite his success, the Cowboys gave Mike McCarthy more control over the offense in 2023, which led Moore to move west to become the play-caller for the Los Angeles Chargers. This season, Moore joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their offensive coordinator, helping them develop one of the top offenses in the league. With a powerful rushing attack, the Eagles are back in the conference championship game for the second time in three years.
It wasn’t long ago that both Quinn and Moore were part of the Cowboys’ coaching staff. At times, fans felt fortunate to have them, but as the team fell short of postseason success, impatience grew. During their two years coaching together, the Cowboys’ offense and defense both finished in the top seven in points scored and allowed, marking the first time in franchise history they’d done so in back-to-back seasons since their last Super Bowl win.
Now, both are guiding NFC East teams to the Super Bowl, and one of them is guaranteed to make it. Will it be Quinn, continuing the Commanders’ Cinderella run? Or will the dreaded Eagles make their third Super Bowl appearance in eight seasons? Either way, it won’t be the Cowboys, and these former coaches, once taken for granted, will be celebrating with another team’s locker room.
