Dan Quinn has Plans for Quinton Bohanna in Dallas

(Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

It looks like Quinton Bohanna has a role in Dallas.

A bit of a head-scratcher in the sixth round, Quinton Bohanna was drafted to the Cowboys with the 192nd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Clearly, it wasn’t a head-scratcher due to Bohanna’s ability, he definitely has the assets to be a player in the NFL, but we were a bit curious to see how he would fit in Dallas–a team that loaded up on the D-line this offseason. But, new Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn made no secret about it, Quinton Bohanna will have a pivotal role on that Cowboys Defense.

Last season the Cowboys were the second-worst rushing defense in the league, giving up 158 yards a game. One of the big reasons for this, which ultimately led to Mike Nolan’s demise, was the under-utilization of size on the Cowboys interior D-line. Enter Dan Quinn and Quinton Bohanna.

Quin sees Bohanna for exactly what he is, a space-eater. At 6-4 330 pounds, he is bigger than the defensive tackles Dallas rolled out last season, in fact, he is 15 lbs heavier than the second-biggest player on the defensive roster for Dallas. Quinn thinks Bohanna’s size will be pivotal in Quinn’s emphasis on stopping the run, which is why Quinn will place Bohanna at nose tackle on this defense.

“He’s going to be right over the center. Sometimes here, other times right there,” Quinn said with a smile, measuring off the distance with his hands by mere inches. “He’s a big guy, he’s got great length, he can really bend, and, so, he’s a nose tackle.”

That’s something Q takes pride in, telling the Dallas media his job is to plug the interior and let the guys behind him work.

“I take pride in stopping the run,” Bohanna said. “And letting those guys behind me run free and make plays. My physicality just fits well with the system that Coach Quinn wants to run on defense.”

This offseason the Cowboys went out and took Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons with their first pick at linebacker. Throw in guys like Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, Keanu Neal, and Jabril Cox, it seems like the only thing that the run defense needs is a plug, and Bohanna might just be the perfect guy.

There’s a bit of a logjam in the Cowboys DT room. Trysten Hill, Neville Gallimore, third-round pick Osa Odighizuwa and free-agent pickups Brent Urban and Carlos Watkins will all compete for spots with Bohanna.

But, Quinn has made it clear, there is a path for Quinton Bohanna in the NFL and with the Dallas Cowboys.