The offensive coaching staff buzz was alive and well for the Washington Redskins on Tuesday afternoon, as they announced their willingness to let current offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell interview with other teams, while they started to turn their focus towards Scott Turner as their next OC. It was also reported that former Cleveland Browns QB Coach Ken Zampese was in the building interviewing to take over that same job with the Redskins.
Okay, so what does that all mean? Let’s answer some common questions that you might have.
Does this mean Kevin O’Connell is out in D.C.?
At this point, it feels like O’Connell is gone. The Redskins have been in talks with him over the past couple of weeks, and he was said to be their top candidate for the OC job in Washington because of his work with rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. However, it seems that the two sides were unable to get a deal done, and the Redskins are now willing to let another talented young offensive mind — a la Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and Matt LaFleur — walk out the door.
Why couldn’t a deal get done with O’Connell?
Obviously, we don’t know any of this for certain, but if I had to guess, O’Connell was uncertain of the control he would have under new coach Ron Rivera. In 2019, KOC had to run the offense with a head coach that was highly involved — be that Jay Gruden or Bruce Allen — and he was hardly set free to run things how he wanted to. It was reported earlier this year that O’Connell was after complete control over the offense, and it appears that he wasn’t going to get it with Rivera.
So where does this leave the Redskins?
As we said earlier, it appears that Washington is looking to hire Scott Turner as their next offensive coordinator. Turner previously coached for the Carolina Panthers as the QB coach, but he stepped in as the interim OC after Rivera was fired this past year. Assuming that Turner eventually does get hired by the Redskins, he will be reuniting with Rivera and helping to further the control that the HC has over the team, going along with the “one voice” mantra that team owner Dan Snyder laid out in his introductory press conference last week.
What’s next for O’Connell?
This is where other coaching jobs come into play. While O’Connell is not yet a candidate for head coaching jobs in the NFL, he is undoubtedly going to be a highly sought after coordinator, and my guess is that he ends up wherever Josh McDaniels — the New England Patriots longtime OC — is hired as a coach. McDaniels is currently set to make the interview rounds, and many believe that he could be a good fit in Cleveland with the Browns, as they are the only team left without a current head coach in the NFL. O’Connell is close with McDaniels and sees him as a mentor, so it would come as no surprise to see the two meet back up with McDaniels as the HC and O’Connell as the OC.
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