JUST IN: Cowboys have replacement head coach lined up with Club insider insisting his job is hanging on a life line

The Dallas Cowboys have looked like one of the best teams in the NFL in recent weeks, and there has been speculation that head coach Mike McCarthy could be fired if that trend does not continue into the playoffs. According to one report, the Cowboys have a replacement lined up.

McCarthy is expected to be fired if the Cowboys do not make a deep playoff run, according to Tony Pauline of SportsKeeda. If Dallas decides to fire McCarthy, Pauline claims that “a consensus belief throughout the league” is that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will be promoted to head coach.

Quinn is in his third season as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020. Quinn led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 2016, finishing 43-42.

Quinn, 53, was interviewed for head coach last offseason and is expected to receive a lot more attention during the upcoming hiring cycle. However, Pauline reports that Quinn is expected to remain on McCarthy’s staff in 2024 if McCarthy remains the Cowboys’ head coach.

You can understand Quinn’s desire to be patient if he believes he is the coach-in-waiting in Dallas. There is no guarantee that McCarthy will be fired or step down in the coming years, but the Cowboys’ head coaching position is one of the most prestigious in sports.

McCarthy is in his fourth season as Dallas’ head coach. He has a 39-23 overall record, but the Cowboys are only 1-2 in the postseason under him. Jerry Jones gave Jason Garrett ten seasons to make a deep playoff run, which he never did.

Jones is now 81, so it’s understandable that he’s growing impatient. He is desperate for the Cowboys to win another championship during his lifetime, which adds to the pressure on McCarthy and the rest of the team.