Washington Commanders News & Rumors

Cowboys Aim To Re-Sign Dorance Armstrong; DE Expected To Draw Interest

March 4th, 2024 at 10:04am CST by Adam La Rose

Dorance Armstrong has spent his entire six-year career with the Cowboys, but he is on track to reach the open market. Both Dallas and outside suitors have the veteran defensive end on the radar.

After his rookie contract expired, Armstrong landed a two-year, $12MM deal to remain with the Cowboys. He had produced little as a pass rusher across his first three campaigns in the league, but in 2021 the former fourth-rounder notched five sacks. That helped his value, but it will now stand at a higher rate after he totaled 16 sacks in 2022-23.

Armstrong’s deal voided last month, creating a dead cap charge of $1.5MM in 2024 for the Cowboys regardless of where he plays. The 26-year-old is valued by the team, though, as Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes. Another Cowboys agreement could thus be in store, but Armstrong will likely draw interest if he reaches free agency.

The Kansas product is not expected to re-up with Dallas for a second time, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Armstrong could have a number of suitors given his age and production in recent seasons (which includes 20 tackles for loss and 55 QB pressures over the past three years). A raise compared to his previous pact would come as little surprise, and the Cowboys would not be in position to win a bidding war considering they are currently projected to be $10.6MM over the cap.

Fowler names the Commanders as a team to watch with respect to Armstrong. Washington is now led by Dan Quinn, who served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for the last three years. It would not surprise to see Armstrong or other Dallas defenders make the intra-divisional move to continue working with Quinn. Washington traded away both Montez Sweat and Chase Young in advance of the 2023 trade deadline, leaving the team in need of additions along the edge. The Commanders will have ample spending power in free agency, so they could make a healthy bid for Armstrong if they intend to add him to the D-line.

Dallas will likely be eyeing additions along the defensive interior and at the middle linebacker spot this offseason, but losing Armstrong would create a notable absence in the front seven. It will be interesting to see if talks on a new deal can keep him with the Cowboys for 2024 and beyond or if he will find himself in a new environment on his third contract.

Teams Inquiring On Commanders’ No. 2 Overall Pick

March 3rd, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Sam Robinson

Holding the No. 2 overall pick for a second time in five years, Washington has an opportunity it passed on in 2020. A quarterback should be expected to head to D.C. with that draft slot, but other teams are making early efforts to see if the Commanders are interested in moving the pick.

Multiple clubs have inquired about Washington’s interest in trading down from No. 2, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. Some moving parts exist at quarterback, with some teams that lack top-three draft real estate needing to consider veteran options. But a couple of those teams figure to still need starter solutions — in the long term, at least — exiting free agency. That would naturally make the Commanders’ pick attractive, as this draft holds multiple non-Caleb Williams QB prospects expected to go early.

Heisman winner Jayden Daniels‘ stock is up, with Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN.com mock draft sending the LSU prospect to Washington. Drake Maye had stood as this class’ top non-Williams option for months, and while the ex-Sam Howell North Carolina teammate’s stock may not have definitively dropped to the point he is a threat to fall out of the top three, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has moved him down on his latest big board. Jeremiah places Maye at No. 5 and Daniels at 6, though QB demand figures to see both going off the board earlier.

The Commanders, of course, have hired Williams’ most recent position coach — Kliff Kingsbury — as OC. Some around the league believe Kingsbury brings strong Williams support, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, though that would not exactly matter barring a seeming Bears course change. For weeks, it is believed Chicago would need to receive a historic offer to part with the No. 1 pick for a second straight year. With all signs pointing to the team trading Justin Fields and going with Williams, Kingsbury’s interest in a reunion would be a moot subject.

None of the quarterbacks Washington chose in the first round in its modern history — Heath Shuler, Robert Griffin III and Dwayne Haskins — panned out, but it would still surprise to see a new regime pass on filling its QB need at No. 2. New football ops president Adam Peters is indeed likely to authorize a quarterback choice at 2, Vacchiano adds.

The team could collect a haul for that draft slot, as teams like the Giants, Vikings, Broncos and Raiders — mentioned as being interested in Daniels — being among those who would stand to be interested in coming up for a passer. Though, it would be rather astounding if the Commanders did business with the Giants involving a pick this high. By trading down with anyone, the Commanders would be passing on a clear window to upgrade at the game’s premier position if they took the trade route. Early on, the 2025 class does not appear to be a QB-rich group. Even with Peters playing a role in the 49ers’ Trey Lance trade-up, the ensuing Brock Purdy flier probably should not be taken as an indication the new boss believes a quarterback can be a later-round addition.

As for the Commanders’ 17-game starter from last season, Vacchiano adds Howell will likely draw trade interest from several teams if Washington made him available. Peters spoke highly of Howell this week, and the 2022 fifth-rounder’s age (23) and contract status (two rookie-deal years remaining) would naturally make him appealing — even as a host of bridge- or backup-level QBs are set to be available soon. For now, Howell appears positioned to be the Commanders’ backup in 2024 — or at best likely to lose his job once the No. 2 overall pick is ready to play.

Washington passed on drafting a QB in 2020 due to having chosen Haskins 15th overall the year prior. The team left Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert on the board that year, choosing eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young. It does not seem likely the NFC East franchise would make a similar move with the second overall choice this time.

Bears Finalize 2024 Coaching Staff

March 2nd, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Ely Allen

This offseason, the Bears had to replace both coordinator positions, a situation that usually results in quite a bit of turnover on either side of the staff. Head coach Matt Eberflus allowed each coordinator to make final decisions on their staff, but many assistants (particularly on the defense) were retained in Chicago for the 2024 NFL season.

We’ll start on defense, where Eberflus likely influenced some of the decisions made by new defensive coordinator Eric Washington. The staff looks fairly similar to last year’s with defensive line coach Travis Smith, linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator Jon Hoke, safeties coach Andre Curtis, and defensive quality control coach Kevin Koch all being retained in their prior roles. David Overstreet also remains on staff, but his title changes from assistant defensive backs coach to nickelbacks coach. Kenny Norton III also earned a promotion, going from coaching assistant to defensive quality control coach.

The only two new additions on defense appear to be Bryan Bing, who replaces Justin Hinds as assistant defensive line coach, and new defensive analyst (advance/special projects) Matt Pees. After Hinds departed to take the defensive line coaching job in Seattle, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Bears landed on Bing, who served as a defensive assistant with the Colts last year as a Tony Dungy Diversity Coaching Fellow. Pees is the son of long-time defensive coordinator Dean Pees and previously spent the last three years as a defensive assistant with the Falcons, working two of those years under his father.

On the offensive side of the ball, we already knew that new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron had hired Kerry Joseph as quarterbacks coach, Chad Morton as running backs coach, Chris Beatty as wide receivers coach, Thomas Brown as passing game coordinator, and Jason Houghtaling as assistant offensive line coach. Houghtaling will assist Chris Morgan, who was retained as offensive line coach and granted the additional title of offensive run game coordinator. Also retained were tight ends coach Jim Dray and offensive quality control coach Zach Cable.

There were three notable additions to the staff on offense. Both Ryan Griffin and Robbie Picazo will serve under the title offensive assistant (quarterbacks and wide receivers). Griffin, a former NFL quarterback, is taking his first coaching gig after a short stint in the Italian Football League last year. Picazo spent the past two years as an offensive assistant with the Seahawks and Texans, coaching at Rice and Stanford at the collegiate level for several years before that. The final offensive addition is Jennifer King, who will be the team’s offensive assistant (running backs). After becoming the first black woman to be named a full-time NFL coach as an assistant running backs coach for the past three year with the Commanders, King continues her NFL journey, this time in Chicago.

Lastly, the Bears enlisted the services of Chavis Cook to manage coaching administration.

There you have it. Eberflus has crafted a new staff with a mix of new and familiar faces. With the new staff locked in, the team can now turn its attention to free agency, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and the future of quarterback Justin Fields.

Commanders Release TE Logan Thomas

March 1st, 2024 at 10:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Continuing to move on from veteran contracts, the Commanders will be without Logan Thomas in 2024. Washington is releasing the experienced tight end, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. The move is now official, per a team announcement.

Already entering Friday positioned in the top three in cap space, the Commanders are freeing up more room. Absent any post-June 1 maneuvers, the team will pick up nearly $14MM between the Thomas and Charles Leno cuts. Thomas was due to make $5.34MM in his contract year.

Thomas, 32, completed a unique comeback in Washington. Ron Rivera gave the former quarterback a chance to vie for the starting tight end job. A Virginia native who played quarterback at Virginia Tech, Thomas saw QB time for the Cardinals as a rookie in 2014. After years off the radar, he eventually completed the task of shifting to tight end, producing a career-best season in 2020. That eventually keyed a significant raise. Thomas signed a three-year, $24MM extension during the 2021 offseason. Injuries intervened on this contract, which had one season remaining. Tight end can be added to the Commanders’ need areas going into Adam Peters‘ first free agency in charge.

In 2020, Thomas caught 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns. Each mark remains a career high, with a major injury — an ACL tear sustained in December of that year — impacting him going forward. While Chase Young was unable to begin the 2022 season on time, Thomas did. But he struggled to show the same form. The former QB was better last season, totaling 55 receptions for 496 yards. As a new regime comes in, however, more Rivera-era parts will be stripped.

Set to turn 33 in July, Thomas was due a $500K roster bonus on March 17, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan tweets. That is not a significant amount, but with Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury coming in, keeping an aging tight end on an $8.29MM cap number seemed like a tough ask.

Among Washington tight ends, John Bates caught the second-most passes (19) last season. But it is safe to expect Peters to target a new starter. After all, the team will have upwards of $80MM in cap space to find one. Dalton Schultz represents a name to watch here, considering his Cowboys tenure overlapped with Quinn’s. Hunter Henry, Noah Fant, Mike Gesicki, ex-Kingsbury pupil Zach Ertz and the recently released Jonnu Smith are other notable names available.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Commanders To Cut C Nick Gates

March 1st, 2024 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another Commanders offensive starter will be moved off the team’s roster Friday. Following the releases of Charles Leno and Logan Thomas, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports Nick Gates will join the duo in being cut.

This may be a post-June 1 designation. Gates signed a three-year, $16.5MM deal in 2023, and Schefter adds Washington will not release the veteran interior lineman until the new league year begins. A post-June 1 cut would make more sense here, with a Gates move not moving the needle much financially otherwise.

A post-June 1 Gates release will create $2MM in cap space for the team this year, though it will keep that contract on the books through 2025. If Washington does not use the post-June 1 designation, it will only save $333K and be tagged with more dead money. Rather than pay Gates’ $2.89MM base salary next season, the Commanders will be hit with — in the event of a post-June 1 move — $3.7MM in dead money.

Rehabbing a broken leg sustained in September 2021 during a Giants game in Washington, Gates returned in 2022 to re-establish his value. The Commanders signed both he and Andrew Wylie in free agency, attempting to provide their O-line with more midlevel solutions. With Leno gone as well, Washington is cleaning out the veteran branch. Wylie’s contract remains on the books, however. After Eric Bieniemy‘s exit, Wylie’s status will be worth monitoring.

The Gates decision was not too hard to forecast. The Commanders benched the ex-Giants starter midway through the season, moving Tyler Larsen back into the lineup. A Larsen injury, however, led Gates back into the fray. He started the final three games for the team last season. With Larsen also a free agent, the Commanders have some holes to fill up front. They will have the necessary funds to do so.

Gates, 28, was once a Giants extension recipient, re-signing with New York after early success at center. The 2021 injury threw that contract off course, as Big Blue’s center carousel spun. Gates made it back midway through the 2022 season, working as a guard and helping the Giants to a surprise playoff run. He started eight games that season, but it did not lead to a sustained role in Washington.

Unlike Leno and Thomas, Gates will not have a chance to shop around for another destination immediately. Due to the likelihood this is a post-June 1 cut, Gates will have to wait until the March 13 start of the 2024 league year before entering free agency. It will be interesting if the Giants, who are in need at guard once again, give thought to a reunion. They wanted to re-sign Gates in 2022 but passed and moved to other options.

Commanders Release LT Charles Leno

March 1st, 2024 at 1:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cost-cutting season continues around the NFL. Left tackle Charles Leno has been told by the Commanders that he is being released, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The team has since announced the move.

As Rapoport notes, Leno is set to undergo hip surgery next week. That procedure will no doubt be a factor in determining his free agent value, just as it played a role in today’s move. The 32-year-old was limited to 13 games this season (his fewest since his rookie season), and he ended the year on injured reserve due to a calf injury.

Leno began his career with a seven-year Bears stint. He initially came to the nation’s capital on a one-year pact, but he had been attached to a three-year, $37.5MM extension inked in 2022. One year remained on that contract, and he was due $12MM in 2024. With none of his base salary guaranteed, however, Leno profiled as a release candidate for this offseason.

Releasing the former Pro Bowler now will generate $7.28MM in cap space while incurring a dead cap charge of $8.25MM. Designating Leno a post-June 1 cut, by contrast, would yield $11.78MM in savings and a much smaller dead money figure. Washington would not see that added flexibility until June, though, well after the initial waves of free agency. Already armed with considerable cap space, the team will be able to handle an immediate release and remain in position to spend big on the open market.

Leno remained a consistent performer along the blindside during his Commanders tenure. He earned a PFF grade of at least 71.6 in each campaign with the team, drawing strong marks for pass protection in particular. That remained the case in 2023, when he ranked 28th overall out of 81 qualifying tackles. With the former seventh-rounder now out of the picture, though, the LT spot could see notable turnover in Washington this offseason.

Fellow veteran Cornelius Lucas – who filled in as a starter to close out the season after Leno was shut down – is a pending free agent. Both he and Leno could thus be playing elsewhere next season, leaving the Commanders in search of replacements along the blindside. Improvement up front will be a major priority for the offseason, after quarterback Sam Howell was sacked a league-leading 65 times in 2023.

The Commanders have former UDFAs Julian Good-Jones and Alex Akingbulu under contract for next season. The same is also true of Braeden Daniels, who was drafted in the fourth round last April but spent his entire rookie campaign on injured reserve. Washington will have the cap space to pursue a veteran O-lineman or two to supplement the team’s in-house options, as well as draft capital to make a long-term investment up front. Meanwhile, Leno will turn his attention to his operation and, following that, his free agent market.

Latest On Commanders’ Dan Quinn Hire

February 26th, 2024 at 3:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

For much of the Commanders’ head coaching search, Lions OC Ben Johnson appeared to be in pole position for the gig. After he bowed out of the running, Mike Macdonald and Dan Quinn remained as the favorites, and it was the latter who was formally hired earlier this month.

Quinn is now in place for his second head coaching opportunity after a three-year run as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. Further details on the hiring process have emerged, courtesy of a detailed piece from ESPN’s John Keim. Among the key takeaways is his report that Quinn was never considered a “Plan B” option for owner Josh Harris and the committee he assembled to find general manager Adam Peters and the team’s new coach.

That comes in the wake of serious interest shown by Washington in Macdonald, who turned a successful two-year stint as the Ravens’ DC into the head coaching position with the Seahawks. Multiple reports have stated the Commanders offered their HC spot to Macdonald before he ultimately joined Seattle on a six-year deal. Still, Peters has expressed confidence in Quinn’s candidacy irrespective of the other candidates looked at during the team’s lengthy search.

“Every time we spoke with Dan, it became more and more clear that he was the guy,” Peters said. “Both times it was like we were speaking the same language. It was really, really cool, had a great connection, had a great shared vision, so it was almost right away that I knew Dan would be a great coach for us.”

As Keim notes, Quinn received more votes of confidence from people outside the Commanders’ search committee than any other candidate. The 53-year-old has spent all but two seasons as a coach at the NFL level since 2001, earning a strong reputation as a defensive mind and leader along the way. He was viewed as being in the same tier for coaching options as Johnson, Keim notes, though the former ultimately received the highest score in the Commanders’ evaluation.

While those factors alone were obviously not the only ones informing Harris’ decision, they underscore how well-regarded Quinn was in the build-up to his hire. He will be tasked with replacing Ron Rivera and overseeing a rebuilding effort after Washington posted a 4-13 record in 2023. Given the nature of his arrival in the nation’s capital, it would not come as a surprise if he received a long leash as part of that process.

NFC Coaching Updates: Falcons, Vikings, Garcia, Glenn

February 25th, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Ely Allen

As the offseason chugs along, teams continue to reconstruct their coaching staffs. The Falcons made a number of moves just before the weekend, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN. The staff continues to take shape under new head coach Raheem Morris.

On offense, two announcements were made on assistants looking to hold over from Arthur Smith‘s staff last year. Rothstein reports that assistant offensive line coach Shawn Flaherty and offensive assistant Patrick Kramer, who each came to Atlanta last offseason, will be retained in their previous positions.

A new hire was announced, as well, with the team naming Jacquies Smith as their new outside linebackers coach. Formerly a seven-year NFL defensive end, the former undrafted player out of Missouri will now accept his first NFL coaching position. After disappearing from the NFL-world for a spell and making an appearance in the XFL, Smith worked with draft-eligible players in pre-draft training. He most recently spent the 2023 season as an assistant edge coach for the Texas Longhorns.

In the front office, the team announced the hires of John Griffin as director of player performance and Rob Dadona as manager of coaching operations. Griffin follows Morris after spending the past three years with the Rams. Dadona replaces Brian Griffin, who departed to serve as Chief of Staff at the University of Maryland. Dadona spent the past five seasons with the Jets, serving as assistant to the head coach for the last three.

Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC, starting with a couple out of Minneapolis:

The Vikings announced two staff additions this weekend, naming assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett and assistant to the head coach Henry Schneider IV. Sarrett replaces Justin Rascati, who departed for Los Angeles to serve as the Chargers pass-game coordinator. The two essentially swapped places, as Sarrett spent the past three years in the assistant offensive line coaching role with the Chargers. Schneider spent the last five years with the Raiders, most recently as the manager of coaching operations.
The Cowboys added a hot, young name out of Washington to their defensive staff this weekend. Cristian Garcia, who spent part of last year as the Commanders interim defensive backs coach, will head to Dallas as a defensive quality control coach, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Garcia was a name that former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera turned to for leadership after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Now he’ll join the NFC East rival.
Washington added their own coaching assistant last week. According to ESPN’s John Keim, John Glenn will join the staff as the Commanders’ new assistant special teams coach. Glenn replaces Ben Jacobs, who had served in the same role since following Rivera from Carolina in 2020 but was not retained by the new staff. Glenn changes roles a bit after spending the past six seasons as the Seahawks linebackers coach.

2024 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 24th, 2024 at 9:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL provided clarity to its teams on Friday by setting the salary cap ceiling ($255.4MM). Franchise tag figures have been locked in as well, and clubs can now proceed with their offseason planning knowing exactly where they stand with respect to financial flexibility. Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the current landscape in terms of salary cap space:

Washington Commanders: $79.61MM
Tennessee Titans: $78.66MM
Chicago Bears: $78.34MM
New England Patriots: $77.96MM
Indianapolis Colts: $72.34MM
Houston Texans: $67.58MM
Detroit Lions: $57.61MM
Arizona Cardinals: $51.1MM
Cincinnati Bengals: $50.67MM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $43.68MM
Los Angles Rams: $43.11MM
Las Vegas Raiders: $42.94MM
Minnesota Vikings: $35.81MM
Carolina Panthers: $34.57MM
Atlanta Falcons: $33MM
New York Giants: $30.8MM
Philadelphia Eagles: $27.35MM
Jacksonville Jaguars: $24.68MM
Kansas City Chiefs: $18.19MM
Baltimore Ravens: $16.63MM
Seattle Seahawks: $12.97MM
New York Jets: $12.76MM
Pittsburgh Steelers: $9MM
Green Bay Packers: $2.3MM
San Francisco 49ers: $5.07MM over the cap
Cleveland Browns: $7.76MM over
Dallas Cowboys: $9.86MM over
Denver Broncos: $16.81MM over
Los Angeles Chargers: $25.61MM over
Miami Dolphins: $27.92MM over
New Orleans Saints: $42.11MM over
Buffalo Bills: $43.82MM over

All teams must be cap compliant by the start of the new league year, but it will of course be more than just those currently over the limit which will make cost-shedding moves in the near future. Cuts, restructures and extensions are available as tools to carve out space in advance of free agency. Several have already taken place around the league.

That includes the Dolphins’ release of defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and the planned cut of Xavien Howard. The latter cannot be designated a post-June 1 release until free agency begins but once it happens, Miami will move much closer to cap compliance. The Saints have moved considerable commitments into the future via restructures (as usual), but more transactions on that front will be required even with the cap seeing an historic single-season jump.

The roughly $30MM spike from 2023 will provide unforeseen spending power for teams already set to lead the pack in cap space while also making the task of those at the bottom of the list easier. Spending more on backloaded contracts this offseason at the expense of future space obviously carries risk, however. Still, the news of a higher-than-expected ceiling will add further intrigue to each team’s financial planning.

With Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson each set to carry record-breaking cap hits for 2024, the Cowboys and Browns will be among the teams most in need of working out a deal to lower those figures. In Dallas’ case in particular, an extension would provide immediate breathing room in addition to clarity on his future beyond the coming season. For Cleveland, Watson’s fully-guaranteed deal has already been restructured once and will need to be again to avoid consecutive years of a $64MM cap charge over its remaining term.

If the Commanders and Patriots add a quarterback with the second and third picks in this year’s draft, each team currently in the top six in space will enjoy the benefits of having a signal-caller on their rookie contracts. That would allow for an aggressive approach to free agency, although the Chiefs’ success after Patrick Mahomes signed (and re-worked) his monster extension has proven it is possible to win Super Bowl titles with a substantial QB investment on the books.

UCLA To Hire Eric Bieniemy As OC

February 24th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Several changes took place on the Commanders’ sidelines this offseason, including Ron Rivera being replaced as head coach by Dan Quinn. The latter elected not to retain incumbent offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, leaving him with an uncertain coaching future. He has found his next opportunity, however.

Bieniemy is set to join UCLA’s staff on a two-year deal under the title of associate head coach/offensive coordinator, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel report. That report includes excerpts from an email Bieniemy sent to ESPN, in which he noted that he was not fired by the Commanders, and that he simply elected not to stay (though it is unclear whether he was given the chance to stay on as Washington’s OC under Quinn, or if he was asked to take a different position on the offensive staff).

“I have no regrets with the Commanders,” Bieniemy wrote. “Contrary to what some think and what has been put out in the media, I was not fired. I actually just chose not to stay. Learned a lot and that is always a good thing.”

Bieniemy will now work alongside DeShaun Foster, who succeeded Chip Kelly as head coach of the Bruins this winter. The move represents Bieniemy’s first NCAA coaching gig since he worked as Colorado’s OC from 2011-12, and it also marks a return to UCLA, where Bieniemy served as the school’s running backs coach for three seasons. The 54-year-old had been in the NFL since 2013, enjoying a successful run as Kansas City’s RBs coach and later offensive coordinator until 2022. He joined Rivera’s Commanders staff in a move which included play-calling duties.

Washington’s 2023 campaign was driven in large part by the decision to hand the reins to Sam Howell as the team’s starting quarterback. The 2022 fifth-rounder showed promise at times, but by the end of the season he found himself being benched mid-game on more than one occasion. Quinn and the Commanders will move forward with new OC Kliff Kingsbury and, in all likelihood, a signal-caller selected with the No. 2 pick in April’s draft as their new starter.

Despite a less-than-impressive showing in the nation’s capital, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz notes Bieniemy drew interest from a number of NFL teams for a new OC opportunity. He joined the Commanders on a two-year contract, leading some to believe he would simply take the 2024 season off before planning his next move. Instead, he will now hold a pivotal role at UCLA as the program transitions out of the Pac-12 and into the Big Ten.

The 2024 offseason has seen a steady flow of coaches leaving the college ranks and taking lesser positions with NFL staffs. Bieniemy – who has seven years of experience at the NCAA level and 16 in the NFL – will head in the opposite direction with this deal. His reputation as an offensive play-designer was established during his decade on the Chiefs’ staff, a tenure which included a pair of Super Bowl titles. He will now aim to boost his stock with at least a brief period at the college level before a potential NFL return.

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