Commanders lose their first coach of the offseason

The Commanders lost their first coach this offseason.

Washington’s season ended less than one week ago, and we’ve already learned of interest in several of its coaches. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had multiple interview requests but declined. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. spoke with the Jets in their search for a head coach, while offensive assistants Brian Johnson, Tavita Pritchard and David Blough all interviewed elsewhere.

On Friday, Dan Quinn lost the first member of his coaching staff to another team. Assistant special teams coach John Glenn left Washington to join Pete Carroll’s staff with the Las Vegas Raiders as linebackers coach.

Glenn, 41, spent six seasons with Carroll in Seattle as his linebackers coach from 2018-23. He came to Washington last year due to his previous relationship with Quinn and special teams coach Larry Izzo.

Glenn first joined Seattle and Pete Carroll in 2012 when Dan Quinn was the Seahawks defensive coordinator.

 

Alternate Reality: Cowboys could’ve been led by Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer as opposed to current path

If the Cowboys played things differently, they could have had their all-star coaching staff. | From @ReidDHanson

Everyone remembers the one that got away.

From the girl next door to the job offer with the bad timing, hindsight can be cruel as much as it can be educational. For the Dallas Cowboys, Sean Peyton is often seen as the head coach that got away. Once a Cowboys offensive coordinator under Bill Parcells, Payton was seen as the next great coach in Cowboys lore. As luck would have it, Parcells stayed on one year too long and Payton jumped ship one year too early, essentially killing the dream.

Looking at the current situation in Dallas, it’s difficult not to think about what could have been once again. Over the past 13 months the Cowboys had a few desirable coaches on their staff and if they would have played things differently, they could have had considerably different setup today.

After losing to Green Bay in the playoffs in the most embarrassing way possible one year ago, many believed McCarthy was a lock to get fired. The team was ill-prepared, unfocused and unmotivated. It was an indictment on a head coach that throughout his time in Dallas couldn’t win a postseason game against a team with a winning record.

If the Cowboys would have fired McCarthy after that Packers loss, Dallas probably could have had Dan Quinn as their head coach in 2024. Not only that, dumping McCarthy would have unchained Brian Schottenheimer as the offensive coordinator. McCarthy never let Schottenheimer call plays during their time together and it was generally viewed as McCarthy’s offense through and through.

Instead, the Cowboys stuck with McCarthy one more season, opening the door to Quinn’s departure and empowering the NFC East rival Commanders to complete one of the NFL’s biggest franchise turnarounds.

There is an alternate reality in 2025 as well. Let’s say the Cowboys stuck with McCarthy and 2024 unfolded just as it did. But instead of elevating Schottenheimer to head coach, the Cowboys elevated Mike Zimmer instead.

Zimmer was making headway on the Dallas defense in his one year as defensive coordinator. He survived a litany of injuries and instilled discipline in a notoriously undisciplined unit. It stands to reason with a healthy roster and a couple new pieces, the Cowboys defense could bounce back to elite ranks in no time.

Much like the Quinn example a year prior, elevating the defensive coordinator to head coach wouldn’t necessarily run Schottenheimer out of town. Schottenheimer wanted to call plays and by most accounts wasn’t a high demand coaching prospect this winter. It stands to reason simply offering him control of the offense would be enough to keep him on board for the foreseeable future.

In this scenario the Cowboys could have elevated fan favorite Al Harris to take over as Zimmer’s defensive coordinator or even brought in the current coordinator Matt Eberflus. It would still be Zimmer’s defense but would add additional coaching talent to franchise.

In both scenarios Schottenheimer is running the offense it’s just the defense that’s in different hands. Theoretically the Cowboys could have had their cake and eaten it too.

Maybe all things worked out for the best.

Quinn got his chance to pull a franchise up from the dirt and the Cowboys dodged a coach whose postseason ended in another defensive meltdown.

Zimmer wasn’t the most daring head coach in Minnesota so maybe he wouldn’t be a great option for the Cowboys. Based on possible gained win percentage, his fourth-down decision making finished in the middle of the pack (one spot worse than the Cowboys from 2014-2021) and he might have put Schottenheimer under his thumb as so many of Schottenheimer’s coaches had done in the past.

It’s impossible to know how things would have turned out but it’s interesting to look back and envision how things could have been.

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Jayden Daniels will help attract free agents to Commanders

The presence of Jayden Daniels will help attract free agents to the Commanders.

The Commanders are about to lose a lot of players; however, Jayden Daniels could attract some very good players as well.

Pro Football Talk hosts Mike Florio and Chris Simms discussed this briefly Wednesday.

General manager Adam Peters will have about the next six weeks to sign which of Washington’s free agents Peters wants around for 2025.

Then, once the new league year begins in March, what about other free agents from other NFL teams? Might Peters have a card to play he did not have in his hand last March?

Regarding a report near the trade deadline in October that players were telling agents they wanted to be traded to the Commanders, Mike Florio responded, “I thought that was a load of crap; I thought it was overdone.”

Florio quickly continued, “But, I don’t think it will be overdone (during the free agency signing period in March), and I think it will be factor.”

“I think Jayden Daniels’ performance over the course of the year and specifically in the postseason is going to attract guys with options, ‘all things equal, I am going to go play for the Commanders’. We are going to see that in free agency this year.”

Former Tampa Bay Bucs QB Chris Simms feels strongly about this as well.

“Things are on the up in Washington; there’s no doubt about that,” Simms said. “With Jayden Daniels, Dan Quinn, Adam Peters…ownership certainly seems different, a stadium in the future. So, there’s lots of things I could see making the Commanders a pretty destination for guys (FA) out there. And the quarterback being the number one thing there, definitely.”

Report links Cowboys DT to Commanders as potential free agent target

Could Dan Quinn reunite with another of his former players?

One of Dan Quinn’s former defensive tackles for the Cowboys is already being linked to the Washington Commanders.

Osa Odighizuwa was drafted in the third round (75 overall) in the 2021 NFL draft, Dan Quinn’s first year in Dallas as the Cowboys defensive coordinator. Thus, Quinn spent three seasons with Odighizuwa, his first three playing in the NFL.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN mentions Odighizuwa as someone who might want to reconnect with Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Fowler believes the Commanders could be the team to watch here because Quinn liked Odighizuwa in their three seasons together in Dallas.

Fowler’s latest: Teams we’ve talked to think Odighizuwa is the top defensive tackle because of his versatility, durability and pass-rush traits. Washington is a team to potentially watch — coach Dan Quinn has been big fan of Odighizuwa from their Dallas days together.

Now, of course, the Cowboys are in the driver’s seat for now, having the opportunity to sign their own free agents before the new NFL calendar year begins in March.

Yet, Dan Quinn will undoubtedly be looking to improve the team’s defense, which was weak at times last season and certainly weaker than the offense.

The Commanders currently have big money invested in Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. Other defensive tackles who saw plenty of action this season were Johnny Newton, Sheldon Day, and Jalyn Holmes. Carl Davis and Phidarian Mathis also saw time inside, but the Commanders released Mathis in December, and he was subsequently picked up by the Jets.

Odighizuwa (6-2, 280) played his college ball at UCLA, started 12 games his rookie Cowboys season, and then all 17 games the following three seasons in Dallas.

Remember, however, one of the concerns for the Cowboys was that their interior defense was too light and that good running teams were pushing them around. On the other hand, Odighizuwa is quick enough, and he gets good pressure inside often.

Two NFL teams want to interview one of Commanders’ top young assistant coaches

Kliff Kingsbury is staying. Could one of his top young assistants head elsewhere?

Kliff Kingsbury is staying, but that hasn’t stopped other teams from trying to poach from head coach Dan Quinn’s Washington Commanders’ staff.

According to Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network, assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough is drawing interest from multiple teams. The New York Jets are interested in Blough for their QB coach vacancy, while the Chicago Bears wanted to speak to Blough for the passing game coordinator role.

It’s unclear if Blough will speak to those teams. The Jets and Bears have new head coaches, both from Detroit, where Blough spent three seasons as a quarterback (2019-21). New Jets coach Aaron Glenn spent one season as the defensive coordinator with Blough on the Lions’ roster, while new Bears coach Ben Johnson was with Blough for two seasons.

Blough also has a connection with Kingsbury. He played in Arizona during the 2022 season, Kingsbury’s last season as the Cardinals head coach. Kingsbury was impressed with Blough and quickly targeted him for a role on Washington’s staff. The Commanders were Blough’s first coaching job.

Head coach Dan Quinn, quarterback Jayden Daniels, and Kingsbury have all praised Blough at different times throughout the season. Daniels often competes with Blough after practice.

In addition to Kingsbury and Blough, Washington has assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard on staff.

Who was the Commanders’ biggest surprise contributor from the 2024 season?

The Commanders had several unsung heroes in 2024. Who was the biggest surprise contributor?

The Washington Commanders were the NFL’s biggest surprise in 2024, becoming the latest “worst-to-first” story. Washington’s turnaround wasn’t typical, as the Commanders went from four wins to 12. Washington also won two playoff games and appeared in the NFC championship game.

Most impressively, the Commanders made the turnaround with a roster of over 30 new players. While rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is the headliner, Washington received contributions from many newcomers.

Which contributor was the biggest surprise?

NFL.com named a surprise contributor for all 32 teams, with veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. earning the award for the Commanders.

Fowler led the Commanders with 10.5 sacks and was second with 45 QB pressures, per NGS. The veteran’s 14.6 pressure percentage led all pass rushers on Dan Quinn’s squad. Playing a rotational role, Fowler was asked to get after the QB, and he did that with aplomb. Fowler’s 3.4 percent sack rate ranked No. 4 in the NFL (per NGS, min. 200 pass rush snaps). Quinn’s defense played greater than the sum of its parts for much of the season. Fowler’s ability to affect the passer, after years of mostly underwhelming as a former top-three pick, underscores that production.

Fowler’s 10.5 sacks were one short of his career-high 11.5. It was an impressive bounce-back performance from Fowler in his 10th NFL season. Fowler combined for 17.5 sacks over the past four seasons before he arrived in Washington.

Fowler now has the opportunity to explore free agency again, but a return to Washington under Quinn makes sense for Fowler. While he’s more of a situational pass rusher at this stage of his career, he proved he’s a very good one.

 

Commanders’ OC Kliff Kingsbury will return next season

Great news for the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders are still trying to process the sudden and disappointing end to the 2024 season. However, two days after the Commanders lost the NFC championship game to the Eagles, they received some terrific news. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will officially return in 2025.

This is not entirely unexpected, as Kingsbury passed on potential interviews for head coaching vacancies while Washington remained in the playoffs. After Sunday’s loss, only one vacancy remained: the New Orleans Saints. That is not considered an attractive job with no stable quarterback situation in place and the Saints in a bad salary cap situation.

Kingsbury has repeatedly stated he’s happy in Washington. He led a top-five offense and aided in the development of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels had perhaps the greatest rookie season for a quarterback in NFL history, and the Commanders came one game short of the Super Bowl.

Kingsbury was Arizona’s head coach for four seasons and was fired after the 2022 season. He spent a year in college working with Lincoln Riley as an analyst at USC before returning to the NFL with Washington. Due to a contract extension he received not too long before his firing, the Cardinals still pay Kingsbury like a head coach. Therefore, he can be more selective.

Kingsbury has repeatedly mentioned how happy he is in Washington working with Daniels and head coach Dan Quinn. He understands he is in an excellent situation and will be selective with where he interviews and ultimately goes for his second chance as an NFL head coach.

Commanders’ Dyami Brown: ‘It wouldn’t be problem staying’

Dyami Brown didn’t exactly seem excited about potentially remaining with the Commanders.

Will Dyami Brown be wearing Burgundy and Gold next season?

Does Brown sincerely want to return next season to play for the Commanders?

Brown and his Commanders teammates were at the Ashburn facility Monday, clearing out their lockers.

7 News DC’s Scott Abraham caught up with Brown and chatted briefly. The former North Carolina Tar Heel expressed gratitude and appreciation for all of his Commanders’ teammates.

“Every locker room is different every year,” noted Brown. “You have new guys coming in and some guys leave. At the end of the day, we just want to show that gratitude to each other and wish them the best of luck.”

Brown completed his rookie contract and now becomes a free agent this offseason. Knowing this, Abraham directly asked Brown, “Let me ask you this, do you want to stay here?”

Brown laughed and said, “It wouldn’t be a problem staying.”

Well, that was certainly not a very persuasive response. Brown had the opportunity to express he wanted to play for Dan Quinn and with Jayden Daniels. Yet he laughed, and then the best he could offer in response was, “It wouldn’t be a problem staying”?

Brown continued, “But you know, at the end of the day, it is still a business. So, we’ll see.”

Brown was sixth this season in team receptions (30),  receiving yards (308), receiving first downs (13). Averaging 10.3 yards per reception was seventh best, and he was one of four to have one receiving touchdown.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz says he’s not retiring

Zach Ertz plans to keep playing and he wants it to be with the Commanders.

Zach Ertz says he’s not done. One day after the Washington Commanders lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, ending their dream season in the NFC championship, players were in Ashburn to clean out lockers. And the 34-year-old tight end made it clear he’s ready for next season.

“I think just being able to be here with the group of guys, the people, the quarterback, Kliff (Kingsbury), DQ (Dan Quinn), it just really allowed me enjoy it, every single day, a lot of times when you’re in a tough spot, the weight of just everything is heavy,” Ertz said. “So this year felt freeing to just go out there and just be myself every day. People that build me up in a way that they believe in me, they have confidence in me to go do what I do.”

After Sunday’s game, Ertz praised rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, saying he wished he was 22 so he could play with Daniels for years to come. He continued to praise Daniels on Monday.

“Obviously, playing with Jayden was extremely fun, you know,” Ertz said. “It was one year so far, but I feel like we’re scratching the surface as a quarterback and tight end combination.”

This led Ertz to talk about his future.

“I don’t know what the future holds; I still wanna play football next year, I just want to make that clear that I’m not retiring,” he said with a smile. “Just because I had so much fun this year. I feel rejuvenated; I feel young. It’s the most amount of games I’ve played in a season at 34 and I felt like I played good football this year. So, for me, it’s just figuring out everything going forward, and they know how I feel about this place.”

One day ago, you wondered if Ertz’s locker-room session was him saying goodbye. But the veteran tight end made it clear Monday that he plans to play next year, and he’d prefer to be back in Washington with Daniels, Kingsbury, and Quinn.

Of Washington’s top three tight ends, two are free agents. Ertz and John Bates are unrestricted free agents, while rookie Ben Sinnott could have an expanded role next season.

Ertz started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2024, recording 66 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. In the NFC championship, Ertz had 11 receptions for 104 yards.

What did Dan Quinn say to his team after NFC championship loss?

What Dan Quinn told his team after Sunday’s devastating loss.

It’s been a wild ride for Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn over the past 12 months. After a blowout playoff loss to the Packers last January, Quinn, then the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, interviewed with multiple teams in his quest to become a head coach again.

A few weeks later, Washington hired Quinn. Quinn quickly assembled an excellent coaching staff led by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Commanders. They won 12 games, the most since 1991, two road playoff games, and appeared in their first NFC championship in 33 years.

Unfortunately, the dream season ended Sunday when Washington fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 55-23 in the NFC title game. It was a disappointing ending after such a terrific year.

After the loss, Quinn spoke to the media and revealed what he told his team in the locker room.

“What I told the players, I really wanted them to savor this time in the locker room with their teammates,” Quinn said. “The locker room is never the same year-to-year, and they’ve really created something very unique and very special……I wanted them to recognize the brotherhood they created together.”

Brotherhood is something Quinn talked about all year. The players bought in entirely and many sounded like Quinn when discussing the team.

Quinn also spoke with Tom Rinaldi of FOX Sports, echoing a similar message.

Despite Sunday’s result, the future is bright in Washington.