Tag: Brian Johnson

Commanders sign WR Olamide Zaccheaus

The Commanders add their first wide receiver of the offseason.

Not only were the Commanders meeting with Drake Maye at the UNC pro day on Thursday, but they also signed wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.

The former Virginia Cavalier was undrafted in 2019 but signed by the Falcons. During his four seasons with the Falcons (2019-2022), he started 23 games, contributing 94 receptions for 1,328 yards (14.1), 8 touchdowns, and 65 first downs. Here are some NFL highlights of Zaccheaus.

Zaccheaus’s signing with the Commanders might not be that much of a surprise, seeing as he spent the 2023 season with the Eagles. Brian Johnson, the Commanders’ passing game coordinator/assistant head coach, served as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator last season and must have developed a relationship with Zaccheaus.

Last season as an Eagle, Zaccheaus made one start and caught 10 passes for 164 yards (16.4), resulting in 2 touchdowns and 7 first downs. Following his 2022 season with the Falcons, he filed for free agency in March of 2023 and one month later signed with the Eagles.

Zaccheaus will turn 27 in July and has also spent considerable time on special teams. In the 2019 season, he recovered a fumble for a touchdown. He also achieved the longest reception during the 2019 season of 93 yards.

Eagles officially announce the signing of TE Albert Okwuegbunam to a contract extension

After playing a limited amount of snaps in 2023, Albert Okweugbunam has signed a new 1-year contract extension to remain with the Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are signing tight end Albert Okweugbunam to a one-year contract extension ahead of NFL free agency the team announced.

Philadelphia acquired Okwuegbunam from Denver after a preseason finale that saw the versatile tight end catch seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. But the Broncos didn’t have room for him on their roster, so they made a deal with the Eagles.

Philadelphia traded a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-rounder to the Broncos last August and decided not to utilize the pass catcher at all the previous seasons under offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

In his first season with the Eagles, Okwuegbunam played 57 offensive snaps and spent most of the season buried on the depth chart behind Goedert, Jack Stoll, and Grant Calcaterra.

A fourth-round pick out of Missouri, Okweugbunam was targeted just once in four games of action last season and did not have a catch.

He’ll return under first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and should find a role with the innovative play-caller.

4 takeaways from Eagles signing TE Albert Okwuegbunam to a one-year deal

We’re looking at four takeaways from the Philadelphia Eagles signing Albert Okweugbunam to a one-year deal

The Eagles are signing tight end Albert Okweugbunam to a one-year contract ahead of NFL free agency.

Philadelphia acquired Okwuegbunam from Denver after a preseason finale that saw the versatile tight end catch seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. But the Broncos didn’t have room for him on their roster, so they made a deal with the Eagles.

Philadelphia traded a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-rounder to the Broncos last August and decided not to utilize the pass catcher at all the previous seasons under offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

A fourth-round pick out of Missouri, Okweugbunam was targeted just once in four games of action last season and did not have a catch.

He’ll return under first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and should find a role with the innovative play-caller.

With the move yet to be made official, here are four takeaways from the puzzling decision.

Eagles sign TE Albert Okwuegbunam to a one-year deal

After playing a limited amount of snaps in 2023, Albert Okweugbunam has signed a new one-year deal to return to the Philadelphia Eagles

In a move that can only be described as puzzling, the Eagles are signing tight end Albert Okweugbunam to a one-year contract ahead of NFL free agency.

Philadelphia acquired Okwuegbunam from Denver after a preseason finale that saw the versatile tight end catch seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. But the Broncos didn’t have room for him on their roster, so they made a deal with the Eagles.

Philadelphia traded a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-rounder to the Broncos last August and decided not to utilize the pass catcher at all the previous seasons under offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

In his first season with the Eagles, Okwuegbunam played 57 offensive snaps and spent most of the season buried on the depth chart behind Goedert, Jack Stoll, and Grant Calcaterra.

A fourth-round pick out of Missouri, Okweugbunam was targeted just once in four games of action last season and did not have a catch.

He’ll return under first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and should find a role with the innovative play-caller.

New Commanders assistant QB coach David Blough goes straight from playing to coaching

Everyone sees big things for David Blough as an NFL coach.

The Washington Commanders announced their new coaching staff on Thursday led by head coach Dan Quinn. It’s an experienced group with two former head coaches and four former coordinators on staff.

Offensively, Washington looks prepared to fully support a young quarterback. The Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and are widely expected to select a quarterback among Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels.

A big emphasis for Quinn and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was to give the quarterback position, whether it was a rookie, Sam Howell, a veteran, or a mix of the above options, the required support.

Quinn hired four former quarterbacks as a part of his staff:

  • Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury: 43 college games played, over 12,000 passing yards. Drafted by the Patriots and spent four seasons on NFL rosters or practice squads.
  • Offensive pass game coordinator/assistant head coach Brian Johnson: 44 college games played, 7,853 passing yards and 57 touchdowns.
  • Quarterback coach Tavita Pritchard: 31 college games played, 2,865 passing yards.
  • Assistant quarterback coach David Blough: 44 games played, 9,734 passing yards and 69 touchdowns. Undrafted in 2019, but spent time with the Browns, Lions, Cardinals and Vikings.

Blough was recently on the Detroit Lions practice squad. His contract expired once Detroit’s season ended, and he immediately jumped into coaching.

While the 28-year-old Blough had a successful playing career, many believed he’d always end up coaching.

Blough worked under Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson last season and, in 2022, was in Arizona with Kingsbury — who was the head coach.

Kingsbury praised Blough Thursday.

“Yeah, very, very smart,” Kingsbury said when asked about Blough. “I remember we got him in Arizona for a couple of weeks and he probably knew the offense better than I did after two weeks. I mean, he is one of the brightest quarterbacks I’ve ever been around. Great rapport with the players. I love his temperament. I think whoever the quarterback is, he’ll be great to be around him, and just how he sees the game, how he talks, protections, progressions, because he never gets too high or too low. And I think he’s got a chance to move up really quickly in this profession.”

Kingsbury didn’t give a lot of in-depth answers on Thursday, but he certainly provided one on Blough. That short time they worked together left a lasting impression on Kingsbury who believes Blough can be an excellent coach.

Blough finished playing in January and has an NFL coaching job in February tells you everything you need to know.

Washington’s stacked coaching staff doesn’t guarantee success, but’s set up well to support the quarterback position better than at any time in recent franchise history.

Commanders’ Dan Quinn promised people wanted to come to Washington

Dan Quinn said people want to be in Washington. He’s right.

Dan Quinn wasn’t kidding.

With new coaching staff hires on Wednesday, it reveals Quinn wasn’t exaggerating when last week he promised, “There are people that really want to be here.”

Quinn said in his introductory press conference he learned a lot from his head coaching experience in Atlanta and that if he could get one more shot at an NFL head coach position, he would make the most of what he learned.

Consequently, in this last week, Quinn has retained Ryan Kerrigan, Tavita Pritchard, and Bobby Engram from the staff of the 2023 Commanders. Also added to Quinn’s staff in the last week have been Brian Johnson (offensive pass-game coordinator), Jason Simmons (defensive pass-game coordinator), Larry Izzo (special teams), Bobby Johnson (offensive line), John Pagano (senior defensive assistant), Ken Norton Jr., (linebackers), David Raih (tight ends), Sharrif Floyd (assistant defensive line), Tom Donatell (defensive backs), Darryl Tapp (defensive line), and Anthony Lynn (running backs/offensive run-game coordinator).

Lynn has head coaching experience (Chargers) as does Kliff Kingsbury (Cardinals). Lynn played for and coached under Mike Shanahan and, most recently, was on Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers staff.

Simmons, 47, played defensive back in the NFL for a decade and has coached DBs with the Packers, Panthers, and Raiders.

Donatell played defensive back at Iowa and has served on Pete Carroll’s staff with the Seahawks, worked with Norton for three seasons, and most recently served on Brandon Staley’s staff with the Chargers.

Johnson (Brian) most recently was the Eagles OC employing an innovative run-pass option offense led by Jalen Hurts. Previously, he worked on the Dan Mullen staff at Mississippi State (Dak Prescott) and then Florida (Kyle Trask).

Johnson (Bobby) had the misfortune of the Giants offensive line spending more time in rehab than on the field, thus giving up the most sacks in the NFL. But the previous season, the Giants made the playoffs and won a playoff road game, utilizing an effective running game with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones.

Do you notice a trend? Both Johnsons have worked with systems utilizing a running quarterback. All three of the top quarterback draft prospects, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye, are dual-threat quarterbacks. Come to think of it, so is Sam Howell.

Add to that, Lynn comes from the 49ers rushing attack as the running backs coach. Don’t make the mistake of thinking Kingsbury will only be throwing the ball in 2024. He is surrounding himself with people who know how to creatively run the ball in their schemes.

This coaching staff is loaded with experience, knowledge and talent.

All of them will not be able to be powerful and the smartest man in the room. It will be up to them to lay aside their egos and accept their assigned roles on Quinn’s staff.

But compared to the Ron Rivera staff of the last four seasons, couldn’t Quinn’s team be a much better-coached team?

Isn’t it fun thinking about how much better this franchise is already trending upward?

Twitter reacts to Commanders hiring former Eagles OC to Dan Quinn’s coaching staff

Brian Johnson’s hiring was praised by many — for different reasons.

The Washington Commanders appear to be building an impressive coaching staff under new head coach Dan Quinn. Shortly after Quinn’s hiring was made official last weekend, the Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator.

Kingsbury, a former Cardinals head coach, is known for his excellent work with quarterbacks, while Whitt specializes in defensive backs.

On Thursday, Washington added to its coaching staff. First, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Commanders planned to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson as offensive pass-game coordinator and Jason Simmons as defensive pass-game coordinator. Later on Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reported that quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard would return in 2024 after impressing Quinn and Kingsbury.

The Commanders still have several openings and are continuing to interview potential candidates.

Of Thursday’s new hires, Johnson was the big name. And due to the Eagles’ struggles down the stretch last season, his hiring was praised by many — except Philadelphia fans.

Here are some of those reactions.

 

Quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard to remain with the Commanders in 2024

The Commanders are building a terrific coaching staff.

It was a busy day for the Washington Commanders. First, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed that Washington was expected to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a “prominent role” on the offensive coaching staff.

Fowler later noted that Johnson’s role would likely be pass-game coordinator for new head coach Dan Quinn.

Shortly afterward, Fowler revealed a key hire for the defense, tabbing Jason Simmons as defensive pass-game coordinator. Simmons spent last season with the Raiders, but spent several years in Green Bay, working with new Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.

Later Thursday, more coaching news, as Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reported that quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard will return in the same position in 2024.

Pritchard, who joined Washington in 2023, had interest from around the NFL and impressed Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. A former college quarterback at Stanford, Pritchard later served as quarterback coach and offensive coordinator at his alma mater before coming to the NFL last season.

Washington is building a terrific coaching staff and, on offense, appears to be focusing heavily on the development of a young quarterback.

4 takeaways from Commanders hiring former Eagles OC Brian Johnson to a critical role

We’re looking at takeaways and observations from the Washington Commanders hiring former Philadelphia Eagles OC Brian Johnson to a role

Brian Johnson is staying in the NFC East, and he’ll be tasked with helping to develop another star signal-caller after being hired by the Commanders.

Jeremy Fowler reports that the former Eagles offensive coordinator will have a prominent role on Dan Quinn’s staff and work closely alongside new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

The news came after Johnson was interviewed for the Commander’s offensive coordinator job.

Washington has the No. 2 overall pick in April’s NFL draft and could target Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), or Jayden Daniels (LSU).

Johnson, 36, took over as Eagles offensive coordinator this year after spending two seasons under Shane Steichen as quarterbacks coach, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl after last season.

Johnson was promoted after Steichen landed the Colts heading coaching job, but he came under fire after the Philadelphia offense grew “stale’ while regressing this season.

With Johnson landing on his feet, here are four takeaways from the news.

Commanders expected to hire former Eagles OC Brian Johnson to prominent role

The Commanders are expected to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a prominent role on their staff

The Washington Commanders continue to fill out their staff under new head coach Dan Quinn and their latest hire comes from a division rival. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Commanders are expected to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to a prominent role on Quinn’s staff.

Johnson was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator for one year in 2023 after being their quarterbacks coach in 2021 and 2022. Prior to that, he was the Florida Gators’ offensive coordinator in 2020 and coached their quarterbacks from 2018-2019.

This will only be Johnson’s second team in the NFL and while it’s unclear what his role will be in Washington, Fowler indicates it’ll be an important one.