The Washington Commanders have reached an agreement with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to become their new head coach, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
Quinn will get a second opportunity to run a team after previously serving six seasons as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach from 2015-20. He led the Falcons to a Super Bowl in his second season in charge in 2016, but was fired after an 0-5 start in 2020 that followed up two consecutive losing campaigns.
The 53-year-old takes over for another coach who previously guided a team to a Super Bowl in Ron Rivera, who was let go at the conclusion of this past season after Washington struggled to a 4-13 record. Rivera was the head coach during the Carolina Panthers' NFC championship season of 2015.
Quinn becomes the latest addition to a franchise that has undergone a slew of changes in the past year, beginning with long-time owner Daniel Snyder selling the team to an investment group headed by Josh Harris, the managing partner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, in July.
The Commanders also have a new general manager in place after hiring Adam Peters from the San Francisco 49ers' front office in January.
Quinn gets to stay in the NFC's East Division after restoring his head coaching credentials with a successful stint orchestrating a defence that helped Dallas reach the playoffs in all three of his seasons there. The Cowboys ranked fifth in the NFL in both points and total yards allowed in 2023, while their 93 takeaways during Quinn's tenure are the most in the league over that three-year stretch.
The veteran assistant also had an excellent run as the Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator from 2013-14, helping that team win a Super Bowl in the first of those seasons.
Quinn compiled a 43-42 overall record in Atlanta and led the Falcons to two play-off appearances, the first of which nearly culminated in the franchise's first NFL title. In one of the most memorable games in recent NFL history, Atlanta infamously blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead in Super Bowl LI as the New England Patriots rallied for a stunning 34-28 overtime win.
He now joins a franchise that has gone 18 consecutive seasons since its last play-off victory in 2005, the third-longest active streak in the NFL, and has reached the post-season only once in the past eight seasons.
Despite that recent lack of success, the Commanders' vacancy was considered an attractive job due to the team's newfound stability in ownership and the front office and a wealth of available salary cap space to work with this offseason.
Washington also owns the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft and is in position to select one of the three quarterbacks viewed as potential franchise players, Heisman Trophy winners Caleb Williams (USC) and Jayden Daniels (LSU) and North Carolina's Drake Maye.
Star NFL tight end Kelce reportedly agrees to two-year extension with Chiefs
Travis Kelce has been instrumental to the Chiefs' success over the past few seasons and will remain in Kansas City for the next few seasons.
The four-time All-Pro tight end and the Chiefs have agreed to a two-year contract extension, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Terms of the extension were not disclosed, but Rapoport reported Monday that the deal will make him the NFL's highest-paid tight end.
Kelce is currently under contract through 2025, so the new deal will keep him in Kansas City through 2027 after his age-37 season.
The 34-year-old Kelce is Kansas City's all-time leader in receiving yards with 11,328 yards, while ranking second in receptions (907) and second in receiving touchdowns (74). He is just 10 catches away from passing Tony Gonzalez as the franchise's all-time leader in receptions and three TD catches away from surpassing Gonzalez's record in that category.
A third-round pick by the Chiefs in 2013, Kelce saw his NFL record streak for a tight end of consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards end at seven in 2023, when he finished with a team-high 984 yards. His 93 receptions were also the most on the Chiefs, and he had five touchdown grabs.
It may have been a down season by his standards, but he was still named to his ninth Pro Bowl team and once again produced in the play-offs.
In helping Kansas City defend its Super Bowl title and secure its third Lombardi Trophy in the last five seasons, Kelce caught 32 passes for 355 yards with three touchdowns in four play-off games. In the Chiefs' 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in February's Super Bowl, Kelce had nine receptions for 93 yards,
In addition to being one of the most prolific tight ends in NFL history and a core member of the Chiefs' recent dynasty, Kelce has gained enormous popularity in the last year due to his relationship to pop icon Taylor Swift.
Three-time Pro Bowl running back Elliott rejoining Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are bringing back two-time NFL rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott after the sides agreed to terms on a deal Monday.
Dallas selected Elliott with the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, and he won the NFL rushing title as a rookie (1,631 yards) and again in 2018 (1,434).
After a contract holdout prior to the 2019 campaign, Elliott landed a $90million, six-year extension and wound up rushing for 1,357 yards that season.
He only surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground once from 2020-22 before being released in March 2023 and signing a one-year contract with the New England Patriots.
Elliott ranks third in Dallas franchise history with 8,262 rushing yards behind all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith (17,162) and Tony Dorsett (12,036).
He is also third in team history with 68 rushing touchdowns behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Smith (153) and Dorsett (72).
Elliott, who will turn 29 years old in July, ran for 642 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games with New England last season.
Tony Pollard led Dallas in 2023 with 1,005 rushing yards before signing with the Tennessee Titans in March.
Texans wide receiver Dell shot, suffers minor wound
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was shot as an innocent bystander and sustained a minor wound outside a nightclub in Samford, Florida on Saturday night.
The team said Dell has already been released from the hospital and is “in good spirits.”
A total of 10 people were wounded in the shooting, but all the injuries are non-life threatening.
Houston selected Dell in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Daytona Beach, Florida native had 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games last season.
Dell did not play after Week 13 due to a fractured fibula.
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