The Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as their new head coach on Thursday. While the move wasn’t popular with a large segment of Washington’s fan base, it was the first significant move from new general manager Adam Peters.
Quinn is a defensive-minded head coach, so who he hires as his offensive coordinator is critical. Many Washington fans wanted an offensive-minded head coach like Ben Johnson because the Commanders are expected to draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
The prevailing thought is that an offensive-minded coach paired with a young quarterback is a recipe for success, but that’s not always true. Some believe that if a defensive-minded coach begins succeeding, other teams will poach the offensive coordinator. That is true, but that also indicates success. The key for teams hiring a defensive-minded head coach is to have a pipeline of sorts to replace the offensive coordinator.
In his opening press conference, Peters said leadership was the most important trait he desired. Quinn’s hiring is proof. Quinn is known as a great leader and teacher. When he was Atlanta’s head coach, he built a terrific coaching staff but didn’t have an answer for an offensive coordinator after losing Kyle Shanahan and Steve Sarkisian in back-to-back seasons.
If Quinn is to succeed in Washington, he must get this hire right. Here are seven potential offensive coordinators for Quinn.