Category: Coaching Hires

Did the Commanders offer Raheem Morris the head coaching job?

The Commanders loved Quinn all along, but did have serious interest in others, too.

There is more discussion claiming the Commanders settled for Dan Quinn.

On Tuesday, Dan Patrick and his guest, Albert Breer, a senior NFL reporter for Monday Morning Quarterback, joined the list.

Patrick inquired as to what transpired with the Commanders being the last vacancy filled for this 2024 cycle.

The Commanders want a strong, durable general manager for the next decade, and the Harris group firmly believes Adam Peters is that guy. Consequently, Breer began explaining to Patrick this is why Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel did not fit into the structure the Commanders currently desire. (How Mike Florio had been so insistent the Commanders wanted Bill Belichick remains unknown.)

Breer continued, “They wanted to be wide open about their process, so they had Zoom interviews with I believe, eight candidates. They brought seven of them back for in-person interviews, and they wanted to be open-minded about it.”

Then Breer divulged, “Raheem Morris almost got the job two weeks ago. The Falcons gave him an offer that made the Commanders really think.”

Breer expressed the Commanders then determined, “No, we really want to finish our process. We want to meet with everybody.”

“They were obviously interested in meeting with Ben Johnson. Um, that didn’t go so well (as Breer chuckled) on Monday as they got the news (from Johnson).”

“Then the final two were Mike Macdonald and Dan Quinn, and Seattle swooping in and grabbing Macdonald sort of clarified, simplified things.”

Patrick inquired further, “Did they want Dan Quinn? Did they settle for Dan?” Breer responded, “They love Dan Quinn, they do.” Patrick, unsatisfied again, asked, “But did they settle for Dan Quinn?”

Breer responded pointing to the common connections in San Francisco with Adam Peters there with Kyle Shanahan and other coaches having worked for Quinn in Atlanta. “So with Quinn, the references were great. He knocked the interview out of the park.”

“Is it as exciting a hire as Raheem Morris, Ben Johnson, or Mike Macdonald would have been? You know, maybe not. But Dan Quinn is somebody in high demand the last couple of years.”

“So I think ‘settled’ is the wrong word. I think they were just kind of committed to riding the entire process out, and because of that, they lost a couple of guys along the way.”

On Feb. 1, Chris Russell (The Team 980) stated Morris and Macdonald had both been offered the job and chose to go elsewhere. Russell has more than once also stated he was told by one in the Cowboys organization (during the season finale) that Quinn wanted this job.

Dan Quinn: Commanders will not be a rebuild

Dan Quinn had another word instead of rebuild. Also, two positions from Washington’s roster stood out to Quinn.

Dan Quinn had a lot to say on Monday, and he was clear he is not looking to rebuild.

Quinn, in his introductory press conference, did point out two position groups that he felt were strong for the Commanders. It also may have been his way of being positive, not to mention how Ron Rivera left gaping holes in this roster with non-productive drafts.

“This is a recalibrate, finding our north again. You will not hear me say the word rebuild at all… There is no timeline, but we will push it hard to see how good we can get and how fast we can get there.”

Quinn has been a head coach previously in Atlanta. He won in Atlanta, and he lost in Atlanta. He was hired, and he was fired. He knows in the NFL, if you don’t get it done, they will find someone else to get it done instead of you.

The most recent Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator knows this will not be easy, but he also provided a glimpse into how he will be approaching this challenge of having a winning season. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than doing hard s_ _ _ with good people.”

Indeed it will be a challenge. Washington has not recorded a winning record since Kirk Cousins was the starting quarterback in 2015 (9-7) and 2016 (8-7-1).

Quinn did name two positions that he felt the Commanders have some depth, alluding to the defensive tackles and wide receivers groups. “Man was I impressed by the inside of the defense, with the defensive tackles. That’s the spot that jumped out at me. Then the skill at wide receivers.”

Daron Payne (13 tackles for a loss, 11 QB hits) and Jonathan Allen (10 tackles for a loss and 19 QB hits) led inside of the defense. Terry McLaurin had a fourth season of 1000+ receiving yards, while Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson collected 62 and 49 receptions, respectively. Dyami Brown has all the speed needed but, once again, only contributed 12 receptions in 2023.

Former Commanders HC Ron Rivera interviewed with L.A. Rams

Could Ron Rivera team up with Sean McVay in 2024?

Ron Rivera said last week he had contact with a few teams about coaching jobs.

News broke Monday that Washington’s most recent head coach is indeed in pursuit of the defensive coordinator role for the Los Angeles Rams.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Monday morning that Rivera had interviewed over the weekend for the position.

The Rams recently lost Raheem Morris when he was named Falcons head coach. Looking to fill the defensive coordinator position, the Rams have thus far interviewed Rivera, Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde and former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.

Rivera was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears (1984-1992), including the 1985 Super Bowl championship team.

Five years after retiring as a player, Rivera launched his coaching career with the Bears, becoming the defensive quality control coach (1997-98) on Dave Wannstedt’s staff.

Next, it was on to Philadelphia, as Andy Reid became the Eagles head coach, hiring Rivera to his staff as the linebackers coach (1999-2003).

Lovie Smith became the Bears’ head coach in 2004 and hired Rivera as defensive coordinator (2004-06). Led by LB Brian Urlacher, the 2006 Bears won the NFC before losing to the Colts in the Super Bowl.

Norv Turner took over as Chargers head coach in 2007, and Rivera was hired to coach the linebackers before moving up to the defensive coordinator (2008-2010).

At age 49 in 2011, Rivera began a nine-year run as Carolina Panthers head coach. He had three winning seasons, including going 15-1 on the way to Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season. But with only three winning seasons total, Rivera was fired during the 2019 season by then-new owner David Tepper.

Four losing seasons followed with Washington as head coach and head of player personnel.

Rivera has 13 years as head coach under his belt. Though only three were winning seasons, Rams HC Sean McVay may be considering that Rivera’s overall breadth of experience could be of value to the Rams staff.

Each of the Commanders’ top targets for head coach could be hired this week

Sunday’s results mean the Commanders can wrap up their coaching search soon.

Former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator and current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is headed back to the Super Bowl.

The 49ers defeated the Detroit Lions 34-31 Sunday in the NFC championship game, meaning former Washington players Trent Williams and Chase Young will also be playing in two weeks in the Super Bowl.

What sort of emotional roller coaster must this day have been for newly hired Commanders GM Adam Peters?

The Lions kept pounding the ball, rushing for 148 yards and accumulating 280 total yards en route to a 24-7 halftime lead.

If that result had held, Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was therefore not going to be available to be hired this week.

On the other hand, the Ravens had lost to the Chiefs earlier on Sunday in the AFC championship game. This meant Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald could be interviewed again this week and be hired this week as well.

However, the 49ers dominated both sides of the ball in the third quarter, outscoring the Lions 17-0, tying the game at 24-24 heading into the final quarter.

The 49ers having Deebo Samuel back from injury a week earlier against the Packers was huge, as Samuel collected eight receptions for 89 yards. The 49ers offense got moving in the second half, and Brock Purdy finished 20 of 31 for 267 yards.

Now it is the 49ers going to the Super Bowl. Johnson, instead of scheming up an offensive game plan against the Chiefs for the Super Bowl, is available after all.

Johnson seems to be the favorite for the Washington Commanders’ opening at head coach. If the Commanders like how he interviews this week, Peters could have the man he wants to lead the Commanders for the next decade.

Peters has apparently been doing his homework and thus has managed to maintain his backup plan as well. He has already interviewed Dan Quinn once and is still planning on a follow-up interview this week.

Commanders fans have nearly in unison been very strongly opposed to the idea of Quinn becoming the next head coach of the burgundy and gold.

However, what if the interviews with Johnson and Macdonald result in Peters determining he would rather have someone with some NFL head coaching experience?

Well, Quinn has been the DC for the Cowboys and Seahawks. He was also a head coach in Atlanta and led the Falcons to an NFC championship and a 28-3 lead against the Patriots in a Super Bowl. Peters also might consider he would rather have Quinn than see Quinn as the next Dallas head coach when the contract with Mike McCarthy expires.

Whether it’s Johnson, Macdonald or Quinn, the Commanders could have their man by the end of the week.

Commanders set to travel and interview Ben Johnson

The Commanders are traveling to Ben Johnson next week.

Tuesday, brought the NFL world the news that the Commanders and Falcons are both planning on going to interview Ben Johnson next week.

Johnson, the Lions offensive coordinator has already interviewed with Washington once. What makes this Pelissero update an attention grabber is the Commanders are traveling to Johnson next week.

This does NOT mean Johnson is the only candidate the Commanders want. New GM Adam Peters no doubt understands he needs to have a couple of backup plans in place so that he can at least get one of his top choices during this hiring cycle.

However, the fact the Commanders are already planning on traveling to Johnson next week may indicate Johnson is their first choice. We will learn more this week and perhaps Peters will also schedule a second or third candidate to be interviewed again next week as well.

What’s more, is the urgency of interviewing Johnson. The Commanders are well aware that Johnson has already interviewed five teams.

Are the Commanders planning on interviewing Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as well next week?

Washington is interviewing Cowboys DC Dan Quinn and Rams DC Raheem Morris again this week. The Commanders interviewed Texans OC Bobby Slowik for a second time on Tuesday.

Johnson began coaching as a Boston College graduate assistant (2009-10) before coaching their tight ends in 2011.

Moving to the Miami Dolphins for six seasons (2013-18), Johnson was an offensive assistant, an assistant to the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends coaches through 2017. In 2018, at age 32, he became an NFL position coach (wide receivers).

In 2019, Johnson became the offensive quality control coach for the Lions, then transitioned to be the Lions tight ends coach in the 2020-21 seasons. Johnson, now age 37, has been the Lions’ offensive coordinator in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Commanders HC candidate led NFL in this type of TDs in 2023

If Ben Johnson is Washington’s next coach, the Commanders will run the ball.

In Friday’s Commanders’ head-coaching search came this tweet from John Keim.

Johnson is a prime candidate to become a head coach during this 2024 hiring cycle. One of the features of Johnson’s running game has been his play-action game. In fact, the Lions led the NFL in touchdowns from play-action while their quarterback was under center.

One memorable feature is that Johnson is content to not gain much yardage on many runs. He continues to call for run plays in the course of games when the Lions are actually having difficulty running.

Why?

He firmly believes that if you run it enough, the defense will take your run game seriously. Consequently, incorporating the play-action fake will increase your odds of hitting some key passing plays later in a game.

In 2022, late in a game against the Vikings, Johnson and the Lions led Minnesota 31-23 at the two-minute warning. However, the Lions faced a 3rd & 7. Johnson did not simply want to run the ball on 3rd 7, most likely giving the ball back to Kirk Cousins with more than enough time to score late.

Johnson had Pro Bowl tackle Penei Sewell go in motion and be the lead blocker for a simple off-tackle run that only gained one yard. On 2nd & 9, Johnson had a receiver go in motion for a simple dive play up the middle for a mere two yards, setting the stage for the 3rd & 7 play.

Johnson could have safely called for another run between the tackles, forcing the Vikings to use one of their remaining timeouts and then punt the ball deep to the Vikings.

Quarterback Jared Goff was again under center, sending Sewell again in motion. Goff took the snap, this time faked the between-the-tackles running play, looked up, and fired a pass to, of all people, Sewell, who was understandably wide open in the flat for the first down.

Move the chains, the Vikings use up their last time out, and the Lions run out the clock; Lions win.

Meanwhile, Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. in 2023, came under heavy criticism for repeatedly choosing to have Sam Howell drop back, too often not employing a play-action fake, nor having Brian Robinson run the ball enough to take off some of the pass rush towards Howell.

 

Head coaching candidates cannot afford to wait on Commanders

Could new GM Adam Peters request permission to speak with additional head coaching candidates this week?

Time stands still for no man.

The Commanders (like all of us) are being reminded of that ageless truth again this weekend.

Washington may have Friday morning sealed the deal to hire 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters. Yet, there is no time to take it easy and celebrate.

Other NFL head-coaching prospects were not sitting by their cell phones, idle, waiting for the Commanders to call. They cannot afford to wait, as there are only so many openings, and as usual, there are more applicants than there are openings.

For example, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks took advantage of his team’s open bye week during this first weekend of the NFL playoffs.

Consequently, Wilks reportedly interviewed earlier Saturday with the Chargers about their head coaching job, and then later in the day, he interviewed regarding the Falcons job.

Mike MacDonald, defensive coordinator for the Ravens, was also said to have gotten in an interview with the Chargers on Saturday.

Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan also interviewed today with the Falcons concerning their head coaching position.

Meanwhile, former Washington Redskins linebacker Antonio Pierce who served this season as the Raiders interim head coach following the firing of Josh McDaniels is now considered to be the leader to become the next head coach of the Raiders. Apparently, some significant Raiders players have expressed their desire for Pierce to become the next head coach.

Could Washington expand its pool of potential head coaching candidates now that it has a GM?

Next week will be a very busy week for the Commanders new general manager as he talks with candidates to replace Ron Rivera, who was fired Monday. Yet, with all that has transpired in just this one week, doesn’t it seem like much more than only a week has passed since Rivera was fired?

Several potential Commanders coaches in action on wild-card weekend

You can bet new Washington GM Adam Peters is watching this week’s playoff games very closely.

Washington Commanders’ new general manager, Adam Peters, was probably watching one Saturday playoff game closely.

The Houston Texans (4th seed) were hosting the Cleveland Browns (5th seed) in the first playoff game of the 2023 NFL season.

The reason Peters was probably watching closely was to observe the offense of Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

The Texans offense and defense both performed well, as the Texans surprised NFL fans, not in the fact that they won on their home field, but that the game was determined by the middle of the third quarter.

Houston won the game coasting to a 45-14 romp over the Browns. For Peters, he might have preferred the Texans offense to have been the primary reason for their 45 points. However, it was the Texans defense who, in the third quarter, intercepted two Joe Flacco passes, returning them for touchdowns.

As for the Texans offense, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was very efficient and effective, completing 16 of his 21 passes for 274 yards and three first-half touchdown passes. The Texans led 24-14 at the half, and the defense really sealed the win with two pic-sixes in the third quarter.

Slowik has been credited with his work in structuring an offense and overseeing the development of Stroud, who last year was playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

So we don’t get too carried away, Slowik’s Texans only ran 44 offensive plays compared the Browns 70. Yet, might that perhaps be the case because the Texans did average an impressive 8.1 yards per play? And this was against a playoff team?

Sunday, Peters will most likely be watching closely the playoff game in Detroit between the Rams and the Lions. Remember, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris are all said to be top head-coaching prospects in this year’s hiring cycle.

Could Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy be an option for the Steelers in 2024?

Could Bieniemy land with the Steelers if the Commanders move on from the current staff?

As the Washington Commanders and their fan base enjoyed a bye week, word came that another NFL team could use one of the Commanders staff.

Earlier last week, more was revealed regarding how the Commanders’ 2023 season has had its friction dating all the way back to training camp.

Consequently, though still under contract for the 2024 season, it looks much more unlikely that Washington offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Eric Bieniemy will return to the Commanders next year.

Well, as Steelersnation.com suggested this weekend, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, has experienced difficulty with coordinators bringing offensive success to his teams which are repeatedly competitive defensively.

One can easily imagine Tomlin might easily welcome Bieniemy to his staff if, indeed, the former Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach and offensive coordinator is not retained by Washington’s next head coach, likely to be hired in January, following the firing of the current head coach Ron Rivera.

Washington currently sitting at 4-9, and losers of 9 of their last 11 will most likely be the underdog in each of their last remaining four games. Thus, as soon as the season concludes new owner Josh Harris will conclude the Ron Rivera era as Commanders head coach.

Many Commanders fans had hoped Bieniemy might be hired by the Harris group to succeed Rivera, but that doesn’t appear to be much of an option now that we have learned Bieniemy has worn out his welcome with some players and coaches.

But perhaps a fresh start would be a good move for Bieniemy. One thing is most certain, the Pittsburgh defense has remained a solid unit over the years, and Tomlin adding Bieniemy might be just what the Steelers need next year.

Pro Football Talk: ‘Commanders is the right move for Bieniemy’

PFT explains why the Commanders were the right move for Bieniemy.

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“He’s very hard on us and he sets a high standard as you guys can probably tell,” said new Commanders quarterback Sam Howell about his new offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy.

“That’s what we want, we want to be coached hard and we want to play for someone who has a high standard. It’s been really good. Obviously, its a really good system and I think it will be a good way for us to use the weapons that we have. I am excited,” said Howell.

Thursday, Pro Football Talk hosts Mike Florio and Chris Simms both expressed their belief in the hire of Bieniemy for the Commanders and as a future head coach in the NFL.

Florio said for Bieniemy it was a case of, “My ship is never going to come in, in Kansas City. It’s just not going to happen. I’ve got to go somewhere else where people will at least perceive I have more responsibility in the offense. He’s changing the construct enough to maybe get people to notice ‘I could be a pretty good coach.’ So maybe it will happen for him after a year or two in Washington.”

Simms affirmed Florio’s view, “You heard what Howell said; it’s cut-throat; the guy is in your face. He handled some personalities in Kansas City and did a great job. ”

“I am kind of excited about what the Commanders can be on offense. I am excited to see what Sam Howell can be. He’s got a natural feel for the game. He’s a good down-the-field thrower, Mike. That is definitely one of the positives about him coming out of North Carolina.”

“This might save some jobs (Ron Rivera and his staff). Maybe get Eric Bieniemy a new job, right?”