Dan Quinn, the former defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, spent the whole summer recruiting former Cowboys to join him as head coach of the Washington Commanders. And, prior of the Week 12 Cowboys-Commanders reunion, Quinn made some nasty manoeuvres that demonstrated how deliberate the roster poaching was. And then he paid the price, as his Commanders lost 34-26, extending their losing record to three games.
But it appears he did not learn his lesson. Just two days after the game, Quinn returned to the well. He signed another former Cowboys defender, this time a recent draft flop who has yet to play a single NFL game after being selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Quinn’s Commanders have added defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko to their practice squad. Cowboys fans will be hoping the move is another bust, but there’s reason to believe Quinn made a solid one.
Injuries have been Fehoko’s main issue in the NFL thus far. He was placed on the injured reserve list in mid-November of last year and was removed with an injury designation this offseason. He had been unemployed since then. With roster places constantly in short supply on NFL squads, it’s probable that his discharge was motivated by roster space rather than his performance. Consider that in his brief appearance on the field during the 2023 preseason, he scored a fairly average 64.5 grade from PFF, including a 68.6 pass-rush grade.
So Fehoko is most likely back to full strength and ready to play. Quinn was most certainly involved in the decision to draft him in Dallas in the first place, and he gained valuable firsthand knowledge seeing him on the practice field throughout training camp and early in the season. He must have enjoyed what he saw.
Quinn has had mixed luck with his former Cowboys defenders. Dorance Armstrong is the Commanders’ second-best defender according to PFF (and 34th out of 114 rated edge defenders this year), but Noah Igbinoghene ranks 107th out of 110 cornerbacks.
Time will tell, but a former fourth-round pick with injury issues is unlikely to make an impact in Washington, Quinn connection or not.
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