Cowboy DC Dan Quinn, DT Carlos Watkins sent home from preseason game due to COVID-19 protocols
New Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins left AT&T Stadium ahead of their preseason game with the Houston Texans on Saturday night due to the NFL’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game that both Quinn and Watkins were placed into the protocol about 90 minutes before the 20-14 loss to the Texans.
“We’re just being extremely cautious,” McCarthy said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
According to the Dallas Morning News, both Quinn and Watkins reported feeling sick at the stadium and were sent home. The entire coaching staff, the Cowboys said, is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. 93% of Cowboys players, or all but six, are fully vaccinated too — though it’s unknown if Watkins is one of the six remaining unvaccinated.
The two are going to be evaluated further on Sunday.
Watkins signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Cowboys earlier this offseason after spending his first four years in the league with the Texans. The former Clemson standout racked up a career-high 27 total tackles last season in Houston.
Quinn, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach, is in his first season as a defensive coordinator with McCarthy and the Cowboys. The 50-year-old — who was the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator before landing in Atlanta in 2015 — went 43-42 with the Falcons and was fired early last season.
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