The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner on Jan. 10 and still don’t have a replacement. That shouldn’t create panic because most of Washington’s interviewed candidates remain for hire.
Two candidates that Washington hasn’t yet interviewed, former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, are expected to interview this week. In fact, the Commanders have lined Roman up for an interview on Tuesday.
Interestingly enough, the Ravens and Roman parted ways after four seasons together on Jan. 19. At that time, we mentioned how Roman should be a strong candidate for Washington. Yet, weeks went by, and it didn’t appear there was interest from one side or the other.
Until Monday, when ESPN’s John Keim first broke the news that the Commanders were looking to interview Roman.
Why now?
The timing is peculiar. We haven’t heard if Roman has been making his rounds in the interview process. And the Commanders interviewed six candidates, yet there was never any mention of Roman.
That doesn’t mean the Commanders or Roman wasn’t interested. Perhaps it was a timing issue on one side or the other. For the type of offense that Washington wants to run, Roman would be an ideal candidate. And for all the criticism he received in Baltimore, he had success. Roman also has a history of success with quarterbacks. Alex Smith and Lamar Jackson have both enjoyed success under Roman’s tutelage.
That leads us back to his interview with Washington. Why did the two sides wait until after the Super Bowl to have a formal interview? Head coach Ron Rivera confirmed last week he was waiting until after the Super Bowl to speak with Bieniemy.
Does this mean Bieniemy is already out of the running without even interviewing with Washington? We should know more this week, as Bieniemy will have options. As for the Commanders, while Bieniemy likely remains the top choice, they’ll have options if Bieniemy turns them down.