FRISCO, Texas — With Dan Quinn leaving Dallas to take the head coaching job in Washington, the Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a new defensive coordinator for the 2024 season and beyond.

Mike McCarthy has shown an interest in former head coaches for coordinator positions, but he has also expressed high praise in current defensive staffers in the past.

It is expected to be a joint decision with the front office and McCarthy. With that in mind, here are a few candidates that could fit as the next defensive coordinator.

Mike Vrabel: Probably the most popular choice among outside candidates with the fanbase, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was not picked for any of the head coach openings and will now make the decision to either serve as a defensive coordinator somewhere or sit out a year to evaluate head coach openings next season.

If he decides to do the former, the Cowboys could be an interesting fit considering the defense’s needs and McCarthy’s history of grabbing former head coaches for coordinator positions, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

After a 14-year playing career in which he won three Super Bowls, Vrabel briefly coached in the college ranks at Ohio State for three seasons before making the jump to the NFL in 2014 to coach linebackers for the Houston Texans. He would serve in that role for three more seasons before being promoted in 2018 to defensive coordinator. His one year of coordinator experience earned him the opportunity to coach the Titans for five seasons in which he led them to an AFC Championship Game appearance and earned one AP Coach of the Year award.

Mike Zimmer: A former defensive assistant for five years and a former defensive coordinator for seven years for the Dallas Cowboys from 1994-2006, Mike Zimmer could be a name that is circled back on to coach the defense in 2024. Zimmer has head coaching experience from his eight seasons spent in Minnesota and 14 seasons of experience as an NFL defensive coordinator.

Zimmer has ties with McCarthy through their many battles in the NFC North when McCarthy was with the Packers, as the two have publicly expressed praise for one another in the past. Most notably, Zimmer came out in support of McCarthy after being fired by Green Bay in 2018 by calling the decision by the Packers “sad” and a “mistake.”

Ron Rivera: A Washington swap? It’s certainly a possibility, as former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera remains on the open market for defensive coordinator opportunities. Rivera had interviewed with the Eagles before Philadelphia moved on hiring Vic Fangio, but an opportunity to stay in the NFC East and come to Dallas could be a realistic one.

In 2021, Rivera said that Mike McCarthy made a “big

mistake” by guaranteeing a win over the Commanders in the week leading up to their matchup, but the two have mostly respected each other in instances outside of that in the past.

Rivera has served as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers and has been the head coach for the Carolina Panthers and the Commanders. Rivera interviewed for the Cowboys head coaching job in 2007, but ownership decided to hire Wade Phillips at the time instead.