Commanders

The Commanders and OC Kliff Kingsbury agreed to mutually part ways, while they also fired DC Joe Whitt Jr. When asked about the situation with Kingsbury, HC Dan Quinn said they are looking to find ways to improve at every role.

“We’re going through all of all the coaches,” Quinn said, via CommandersWire. “Kliff offensively, defensively, on the [special] teams side. And so, that’s really what we’re digging into to find what’s best, how do we do it, you know, where do we find spaces to improve? And you know, for Kliff, for [defensive coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.], for [special teams coordinator] Larry [Izzo], for all of us. Like that’s our main focus, so we’re never in this space again, and that’s what we want to dig in hard on.”

Commanders GM Adam Peters was asked about the decision with Kingsbury and Whitt, responding that supporting Quinn is a big part of how he operates.

“I’m really just here to support DQ,” Peters said. “The coaching staff is DQ’s and I’m always here to help, like during the season, in the offseason, however I can to help support him and help him make the decisions that he needs to make and certainly, really wherever he needs. So, I’m not involved in whatever decision it is. It’s always DQ’s call and I have his back on whatever he wants to do.”

• Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, former Falcons HC Raheem Morris and DC Jeff Ulbrich are candidates to watch to reunite with Commanders HC Dan Quinn as his defensive coordinator.
• Fowler mentions the people he’s talked to think the Commanders want to move to a more under-center system with their next offensive coordinator hire.

Cowboys

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler expects the Cowboys to pursue a big-name defensive coordinator hire and adds they’ll likely want a candidate with experience. Vikings DC Brian Flores is on Dallas’ radar, per Fowler, and he also mentions former Falcons HC Raheem Morris and former Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon.
• Cowboys owner Jerry Jones feels that QB Dak Prescott is playing the best football of his career, adding that had the team paid DE Micah Parsons, they would be unable to afford WR George Pickens. (Werder)
• Jones when told Patriots owner Robert Kraft has three more Super Bowls: “My goal in life is to retire as the owner to win the most Super Bowls…I got work to do.” (Machota)
• Jones continued: *“We want to get out here and do better than we did this year. (There’s) the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something done now? Yes. Yes. We’ll do some dramatic things. That was a dramatic thing we did (trading Micah Parsons). We didn’t do it not to win games. The point is, this calls for some pretty controversial decisions. We’re gonna keep this thing as good as we can possibly be. Finances are no object. We’re gonna make it as entertaining as...