Joe Whitt Jr. joins Dan Quinn with the Leaders

Frisco, Texas – There was another change on the defensive side of the ball for the Dallas Cowboys, though it wasn't entirely surprising. With Dan Quinn's decision to take on the role of head coach of the Washington Commanders last week, Possible repercussions included the possibility of losing Joe Whitt Jr. for that organization as well.

On Sunday, that scenario became a reality when Whitt officially accepted an offer from Quinn to join him in Washington — a move that led to his promotion from Dallas' secondary coach and passing game coordinator to defensive coordinator, or leaders.

Before his scheduled interview on Monday morning, he headed to the nation's capital instead.

Witt joined the Cowboys in 2021 alongside Quinn, after the duo spent the 2020 season with the Atlanta Falcons, where the latter was head coach at the time.

Witt also has a long-standing relationship with Mike McCarthy from their time with the Green Bay Packers, with the former serving as cornerbacks coach before being moved to defensive passing game coordinator.

That relationship, along with his connection to Quinn, allowed Whitt to hit the ground running in Dallas — where Quinn quietly helped organize a defensive unit that excelled at pressuring the quarterback and taking the ball away.

The 45-year-old will now get his first-ever opportunity in an all-defense format, albeit an NFC East division contender that McCarthy and the Cowboys will face at least twice a season.

However, the Cowboys will now face questions about what other defensive coaches will or won't stay in Dallas for 2024 — most notably cornerbacks coach Al Harris and defensive line coach Aden Durdy (who is interviewing for the Cowboys defensive coordinator role on Monday) — along with a roster of other coaches. .

With candidates like Mike Zimmer and Ron Rivera also being interviewed, hiring an outside candidate could lead to sweeping changes on that side of the ball this offseason; Or rather, more than Dallas has already seen in just a few weeks following their recent playoff exit.