The Commanders have not yet fired their head coach, and plans do not appear in place for that to happen during the season. But the team is moving on from one of its coordinators. After a one-sided Thanksgiving loss in Dallas, Washington will fire DC Jack Del Rio, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
A former Jaguars and Raiders head coach, Del Rio had been with Washington throughout Ron Rivera‘s four-year tenure. But the veteran HC/assistant’s defense has struggled this season. Following the Cowboys’ 45-10 romp, the Commanders will make a significant change. Rivera will now call the Commanders’ defensive plays, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. The Commanders have since announced Del Rio’s ouster.
In addition to the Del Rio move, the Commanders are also firing defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Like Del Rio, Vieselmeyer had been on Washington’s defensive staff since 2020. He served as a Raiders assistant during Del Rio’s three-year Oakland tenure. Cristian Garcia will take over as Washington’s DBs coach, Jhabvala adds, with safeties coach Richard Rodgers assisting Rivera with game-planning.
Although Commanders ownership playing the lead role in the team trading top defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young has factored into the team’s defensive unraveling, Del Rio’s unit was not thriving before the deadline deals. The Commanders allowed at least 33 points five times between Weeks 2-8, with both Young and Sweat being in the lineup in each of those contests. Following the Cowboys’ demolition, the Commanders rank last in points allowed, 29th in total defense and 30th in defensive DVOA.
Del Rio received this opportunity after not coaching for two years. The Raiders fired Del Rio following his third season, despite the team going 12-4 a year prior, to give Jon Gruden a 10-year contract. The 60-year-old coach did not have an NFL gig during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. His Washington tenure produced a mixed bag. The team ranked fourth in points allowed in 2020 and seventh in this area last season, though the 2021 campaign produced a 25th-place result. While this Commanders edition saw its edge-rushing muscle stripped away, ownership will sign off on Rivera making an in-season change.
Giving Rivera a green light to make these moves would point to ownership being committed to the veteran HC through season’s end. Rivera appears a likely chopping-block candidate in January, but Del Rio served as one of the Commanders’ interim HC options in the event Josh Harris axed Rivera during the season. OC Eric Bieniemy resides as an interim option as well, but the team would not have much in the way of defensive leadership in the wake of Friday morning’s dismissals. This appears likely to end with Rivera and potentially Bieniemy being gone as well, as Harris remodels the organization he recently acquired, but the fourth-year HC remains in place for now. A Harris statement indicates Rivera recommended the changes.
In the Rivera-Del Rio partnership’s first season, Washington won the NFC East — albeit with a 7-9 record — after forming a stacked defensive line by drafting Young second overall. Young paired with former first-rounders Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Ryan Kerrigan to form a strong pass rush. This unit helped cover for a QB situation that featured a struggling Dwayne Haskins and a limited Alex Smith, and Washington accounted itself well in a close wild-card loss to Tampa Bay. But the team is headed toward a fourth straight .500-or-worse season under Rivera. Del Rio’s role in that will cost him his job early.
The Del Rio-Rivera defense fared well despite Young barely playing in 2022, with the unit also withstanding the free agency miss on William Jackson, whom the team benched early last season and sent to the Steelers for a low-end return. This year brought a regression on most fronts, even with Young returning to full strength following his November 2021 knee injury. High-powered offenses like the Bills and Eagles ran out to 30-plus points against the Commanders, but the Bears and Broncos also combined for 73 points during the season’s first half. Although a six-turnover effort hamstrung the Commanders in the Giants rematch, Del Rio’s unit allowed rookie UDFA Tommy DeVito to throw three touchdown passes in New York’s two-score Week 11 win (as a two-score underdog).
A former linebacker, Del Rio has been an NFL staffer since 1997. Vieselmeyer has only served as an NFL coach under Del Rio. Primarily vacillating between the high school level and a Del Rio assistant (with a few college seasons mixed in), Vieselmeyer was on the Raiders’ staff throughout Del Rio’s three-year tenure. Washington hired him as its assistant secondary coach in 2020. Following Chris Harris‘ defection to the Titans this offseason, Vieselmeyer moved up to DBs coach. The Commanders exit Week 12 having allowed an NFL-most 49 pass plays of at least 20 yards, per ESPN.com’s John Keim. Washington has not intercepted a pass in six games.
Why bother firing Jack Del Rio now? It doesn’t make any sense. A flushing of the staff and front office is coming in 5 games anyway.
I’m guessing they’re not going to fire Rivera because Harris wants to make sure he doesn’t come off like Dan Snyder. It’s his first year and he doesn’t want to have to fire the head coach mid season. But with as bad as the losses have been, something had to be done. So, here’s your middle ground. Showing that you won’t accept inferior results but that you’re also not a hot head.
Agree with Aaron – I believe new ownership has respect for Ron, so let him finish the season. As the article says, the D was bad WITH Sweat and Young, so that’s not to blame.
Bingo
Since Ron is well below .500 in 4 seasons at the helm, if they don’t fire him; the few remaining fans will stay PO! Ron is gone.
You trade away young and sweat. What you think is gonna happen….course defense ia gonna take a hit.
This defense has been bad for much longer than the last 2 games. With the draft capital on the defensive side of the ball (6 1st rounders) this defense should’ve consistently been top 10 or better in all defensive metrics for the last 4 years. It hasn’t sniffed that since 2020
6
Payne
Allen
Young
Sweat
Davis
Forbes is a rookie.
They also lost young for a long stretch due to knee troubles.
Idk why youre saying they had “6 1st rounders” and including a rookie and injured former 2nd overall pick saying they should be good since 2020 (last 4 years).
You literally counted 6 first round draft picks. That’s over half the D starters. There’s only 11 on the field.
Aaron is 100% spot on w/his comment.
“Idk why youre saying they had “6 1st rounders” and including a rookie and injured former 2nd overall pick saying they should be good since 2020 (last 4 years).
So we are counting a 2023 rookie in Forbes that didnt play in 2020 2021 2022 for the team for obvious reasons
And chase young who played 9 in 2021 and 3 in 2022?
Kind of weird to include them saying “washington has 6 1st rounders why havent they been good on defense in 2020 2021 2022 2023” but logic has never been artys best quality.
They’re still 1st round picks. Whether they are good or injured doesn’t change that fact. It’s not rocket science, it’s football. And since Ron has oversaw 4 of those picks, it proves he’s not good at evaluating talent.
Do you know why I don’t comment on their pro hockey and NBA sites? Because I don’t follow those leagues that close and don’t want to write comments are moronic as yours on PFR.
But please keep disputing that DC spent 6 1st round picks on D, please!
“Moronic”
Says the dude who thinks a guy not even on the roster in 2020 2021 2022 and young missing 22 games means washington had 6 1st round picks playing on defense last 4 years.
If the standard is “i dont comment cause i dont understand those sports” you know very little about football for what its worth.
Please continue to tell us how 6 1st round picks affects 2020 2021 2022 and 2023 when the picks have played less than a full seasom together. Another day another dumb take by arty.
So Payne, Allen, Young, Sweat, Davis & Forbes weren’t recent 1st round picks drafted by DC? Ha ha!! Keep talking. Actually go back to watching your losing Padres. After a mere 55 years, they own a whopping .465% winning percentage. Sums you up right there, a loser.
DelRio’s defense gave up 40 points to the Bears before the trade. This should have happened then.
Rivera will be gone at seasons end
Exactly. Makes 0 sense to do this in season after the trades. This team is not set up for success at this point, ride it out and reboot. Worst case scenario is this results in success and the draft pick isn’t as good.
This was meant to be a reply on the first comment.
Maybe Rivera is firing them ahead of time out of respect for them. He can see the writing on the wall. Gives them a chance to regroup and maybe get picked up somewhere else before season end, maybe even the college ranks.
I keep hearing about the Young and Sweat trades, and honestly this D team played poorly with them in the lighter end of the schedule. As far as Del Rio firing, at this point it prolly won’t make any difference one way or the other, but it also shows that accountability is still being managed. Ron is as good as gone when the season is over, that’s a given. I certainly hope they find that GM that’s at the top of his game like Beathard was back in the 80’s
Fair enough about being bad before they traded those 2 away..but they’ve played a couple games without them now and, what? They expected them to be better and since they’re not, this is the “right” time..?
Commies won’t have a winning record until they’re Redskins again.
I lean more towards “Washington Colonizers”
That television shot of Josh Harris and family in their suite at the game shouldn’t exactly inspire confidence amongst Washington fans. Harris didn’t look like someone who would know anything about how to right a sinking NFL franchise.
If your impression of people is based on quick television shots then you are ripe for any kind of propaganda the media directs your way.
A “billionaire” who doesn’t fix his teeth tells me he doesn’t see to the details.
Ooooo interesting
I think he is a decent coach, he is not a Head Coach, imho, but you know who should scoop him up
Prime Time and the Colorado Buffaloes
They could use someone like Del Rio and he would be perfect there as Defensive Coordinator!!!
USC – his alma mater.
Del Rio had a lot of cache two or three USC head coaching searches ago, but him replacing Grinch as DC could be just what the Trojans need.
I am.not sure if Usc needs him
Your kidding right…
I don’t follow USC and the only game where I watched them was where they had a rough time with Colorado
They also fired their DC mid season.
I had no idea until now
Why even comment with an opinion when you so clearly don’t know anything about the subject? I’m genuinely curious.
This is soooooo awesome
Hell, maybe you should coach in the NFL and show all of us how it is done!
Riley could do worse than Del Rio. And Del Rio could refresh the League’s opinion of his recent work with a few years rebuilding the USC defense.
Del Rio will get another defensive role in the league.
Keep Rivera. Trading away 2 d lineman said team has given up for the season. Don’t know if Howell is the QB answer, so let’s have some competition in 24.
There was a point in time when Del Rio was a good, but not amazing, coach. His work as defensive coordinator in Denver was mostly good, and he had a few successes in Jacksonville. I don’t think that he’s a game changing coach, but he could probably find work somewhere needing an experienced coordinator.
As far this decision goes…no, it doesn’t change much, but perhaps it is an audition for younger staff. Or perhaps Rivera wants to show ownership that he is committed to the idea of having high standards. Future interviews may ask about Rivera’s ideas on accountability; perhaps he points to this as proof. Or perhaps he doesn’t want to be replaced, and getting rid of an interim candidate is one way to do it, or he figures that it increases his chances to stay next year. Who knows. All I know is that this makes it almost impossible that Rivera doesn’t finish the year as head coach.