The Commanders have landed on their new special teams coordinator. Ben Standig of The Athletic reported last week that the team has hired Larry Izzo as their new ST coordinator.
Izzo earned three Super Bowl rings and three Pro Bowl nods as a special teams ace in New England, and he caught on to the coaching ranks shortly after retiring. He had a two-year stint as special teams coordinator with the Texans before joining the Seahawks staff in 2018.
He spent the past six seasons in Seattle, half of which he served as the team’s special teams coordinator. Izzo’s units ranked top-10 in FTN’s DVOA (subscription required) during each of his three seasons at the helm.
With Pete Carroll out in Seattle, his staff was free to seek jobs elsewhere. Izzo was a hot name in this hiring cycle, and he’s ultimately landed with Dan Quinn’s staff in Washington.
More coaching notes out of Washington…
As Joe Whitt Jr. prepares for his first defensive coordinator job, he’s adding some experience to his defensive staff. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Commanders have hired Ken Norton Jr. as their new linebackers coach. The former Cowboys and 49ers star had a three-year stint as the Raiders defensive coordinator before spending four years leading the Seahawks defense. After getting fired by Seattle following the 2021 campaign, he caught on as UCLA’s DC.
Elsewhere on defense, the Commanders are adding JohnPagano in an unknown role (via Benjamin Allbright of KOA in Colorado) and JasonSimmons as their defensive pass-game coordinator (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler). Pagano previously served as the Chargers and Raiders defensive coordinator, and he most recently spent time as the Broncos outside linebackers coach. Simmons spent almost a decade on the Packers coaching staff before recently serving as the Panthers and Raiders pass-game coordinators. Simmons was rumored to be joining Washington’s staff following Whitt’s hiring.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Commanders are hiring Bobby Johnson as their offensive line coach, per Pelissero. The veteran coach has spent more than a decade guiding tight ends and offensive linemen, including the past two as the Giants OLs coach. The Commanders will also be retaining TavitaPritchard as their quarterbacks coach, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. Pritchard garnered interest from other teams, but the Commanders pushed to keep him after he impressed in meetings with Quinn and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Jhabvala passes along a handful of Commanders coaches who won’t be returning in 2024: tight ends coach ToddStorm, run game coordinator JuanCastillo, offensive line coach Travelle Wharton, and senior defensive assistant/safeties coach Richard Rodgers.
With Super Bowl LVIII in the books, the 2023 campaign has come to a close. Teams outside Kansas City and San Francisco had already turned their attention to the offseason well before Sunday’s game, of course.
Regular season standings determine the order for the top 18 picks, so they have been known since the conclusion of Week 18. For the second straight year, the Bears face the question of dealing away the top selection and starting over at quarterback or re-committing to Justin Fields. Expectations still point toward Caleb Williams heading to Chicago, although the Bears will not move the No. 1 pick at a discounted price.
With the Commanders also in position to add a signal-caller second overall, the Patriots and Cardinals will be worth watching closely. New England will be in the market for a QB, but it may not come via the team’s top selection. Arizona’s position could also be a trade-up target for teams seeking a quarterback addition. This year’s class is expected to be dominated by blue-chip prospects under center, as well as at wide receiver and offensive tackle.
The final 14 spots in the draft order are filled by postseason results. The Chiefs find themselves in familiar territory picking at or near the end of the first-round order for the fourth time in the past five years following another Super Bowl appearance. The team has a mixed track record with its selections in that regard, but another impact rookie would of course help its bid to sustain its impressive run.
While a number of selections will no doubt be swapped between now and draft day, here is the full 2024 first-round order:
This year’s HC cycle became the rare carousel to generate more attention around the coaches who did not land jobs than the ones hired. Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel being left out will assuredly generate stories ahead of the 2025 hiring period, and it will be worth monitoring if Pete Carroll is connected to another coaching job.
But eight teams — up from five in 2023 — made the decision to change coaches. Dan Quinn‘s hire filled the final vacancy. While the Commanders’ process generated extensive fallout, teams are now moving forward with staff assembly following their HC hires.
The Commanders look to have gone through a bit of back-and-forth about their interest in Lions OC Ben Johnson. Pushing back on the notion the two-year Detroit play-caller was their top choice all along, Washington will give Quinn a second chance. But the former Dallas DC may well have been Washington’s third choice; the team made an aggressive push to landMike Macdonald as well. The Seahawks finished that 11th-hour competition by giving the young Ravens DC a six-year deal.
Only Seattle and Washington waited until after the conference championship games to hire their coaches. Macdonald, who is half Carroll’s age, becomes the NFL’s youngest HC (36). (New Patriots leader Jerod Mayo, 37, held that title for several days.) A Ravens defense that carried major questions in the pass-rushing department led the NFL in sacks while leading the league in scoring defense as well. Quinn re-established his value over three years in Dallas, restoring that unit as one of the game’s best. While Quinn has the Super Bowl LI collapse on his resume and went 0-for-3 in playoff berths over his final three seasons in Atlanta, Washington’s new ownership group will bet on the experienced staffer.
Although the Commanders’ search produced a number of headlines, the Falcons introduced this year’s top “what if?” storyline. The only team serious about hiring Belichick, interviewing him twice, the Falcons steered clear of the six-time Super Bowl-winning HC. While Arthur Blank went into the hiring period prepared to hire the 24-year Patriots leader, it appears other Falcons higher-ups — in an effort potentially connected to their own statuses — helped sway the owner toward the Raheem Morris hire.
Morris, whom Falcons CEO Rich McKay hired during his time as Bucs GM in the early 2000s, will make the historically rare move of returning to coach a team years after operating as its interim HC. Morris left Atlanta on good terms in 2021 and comes back after a successful run as the Rams’ DC. Though, Belichick will undoubtedly be tied to Morris during the latter’s second Atlanta stay.
It took a six-year contract for the Panthers to bring in Bucs OC Dave Canales, who parlayed his first coordinator season into a head coaching gig. The Panthers trading the No. 1 overall pick and David Tepper‘s reputation as an impulsive meddler played into Carolina’s search, but the team had long been connected — despite Frank Reich‘s struggles — to pursuing an offense-oriented leader. Carolina also pursued Johnson for a second year but did not wait to make an attempt to interview him in-person. Following his work with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, Canales will be charged with developing Bryce Young.
The Titans also went offense with their hire, adding five-year Bengals non-play-calling OC Brian Callahanto succeed Vrabel. Zac Taylor‘s longtime lieutenant probably would have landed a job earlier had he called plays in a Joe Burrow-piloted offense, but the Titans will turn to the 39-year-old candidate to develop Will Levis. Brian Callahan will also technically oversee his father this coming season, hiring well-regarded Browns O-line coach Bill Callahan to the same position. This will be the Callahans’ first time on the same staff.
Las Vegas and New England each went with in-house solutions. The Raiders became the first team in seven years to elevate an interim HC to the full-time position. Mark Davislistened to his players, after expressing regret about not removing Rich Bisaccia‘s interim tag in 2022. But the second-generation owner also passed on interviewing other viable candidates for the job, only going through with required interviews to comply with the Rooney Rule. While Pierce accounted himself well as a leader during the season’s second half, his experience level is quite thin compared to just about every other HC hire in modern NFL history.
Using a Rooney Rule workaround by including language in Mayo’s contract about succeeding Belichick, the Patriots also passed on a true search. Robert Kraft intervened last year, extending Mayo after the Panthers had sought a meeting, and will give the keys to the recent Patriots linebacker. Mayo’s time in coaching does not match Pierce’s, though the former has spent more time as an NFL assistant. The franchise is largely keeping the Patriot Way going, promoting from within to fill the HC position and elevating an in-house staffer (Eliot Wolf) to fill the de facto GM post, only with Belichick no longer involved.
The highest-profile hire came out of Los Angeles. The Chargers became the team to lure Jim Harbaughback to the pros. The Bolts gave the accomplished HC a $16MM salary — over five years — and signed off on allowing final say. Harbaugh has won everywhere he has been and held leverage in the form of another Michigan extension offer and a second Falcons interview being scheduled. The Bolts did not let him leave for that meeting and gave Harbaugh significant input into Tom Telesco‘s GM replacement (Joe Hortiz). Harbaugh’s final NFL snaps came with the Chargers, and after hiring three first-time HCs under Telesco, the team will make a bigger bet to turn things around.
Which team ended up doing the best with its 2024 hire? Why did Belichick fail to land a job? Will he and Vrabel be back in 2025? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this year’s HC market in the comments.
Fired from the Eagles last month, Brian Johnson will not land another offensive coordinator job. But the Eagles will see their three-year assistant twice next season.
Dan Quinn is expected to add the former play-caller to his Commanders staff, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Johnson will work under Kliff Kingsbury in a prominent position. Prior to spending the 2023 season as the Eagles’ OC, Johnson was in place as quarterbacks coach.
It appears the Commanders will install Johnson as their pass-game coordinator, Fowler tweets. Johnson played an integral role in Jalen Hurts‘ ascent during the early 2020s, and although the Eagles fell apart on both sides of the ball late in the season, Hurts’ development on the whole reflects well on the young assistant.
Johnson, 36, interviewed for multiple HC jobs this offseason — in Atlanta and Tennessee — and received a request from Carolina. Though, the Panthers made a point of indicating they were no longer interested days later. Johnson landed on the OC carousel soon after, interviewing for the Browns, Buccaneers and Saints’ positions. Each team went in another direction. With only one OC job open — Seattle’s — Johnson will take a step back in 2024. Though, Quinn having a prominent OC candidate in place on his staff could certainly help during his first season in Washington.
This Commanders commitment also comes after Johnson engaged in talks with other teams, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. It was believed several teams were monitoring Johnson’s status. While Eric Bieniemy was unable to use the Commanders as a platform to solidify his value, Kingsbury and Johnson could have longer leashes due to the circumstances. Josh Harris and Adam Peters should be considered likely to give Quinn at least two seasons to prove he has what it takes to lead this team back to relevancy, though the team’s fortunes may well come down to how the No. 2 overall pick fares. Johnson figures to be an essential component in that equation.
Shifting from Shane Steichen to Johnson last year, the Eagles started off well but became one of the most disappointing contenders in recent memory by fading down the stretch. Philly managed just nine points in a one-sided wild-card loss in Tampa, and it appears Nick Sirianniwas asked to fire both Johnson and DC Sean Desai. Unlike Doug Pederson in 2021, Philly’s HC obliged and will keep his job.
The Eagles’ bigger problems came on defense, but Hurts’ 15 INTs matched his 2021 and ’22 seasons combined. His yards-per-attempt number also dropped from 8.0 to 7.2 from 2022 to ’23. Though, the Eagles still ranked in the top eight in scoring and total offense. As the Eagles’ tailspin eventually involved the offense as well, Johnson found himself out of a job after receiving HC interview requests. The Eagles interviewed Kingsbury hours after firing Johnson; the two will now work together in Washington.
Johnson, who came to the Eagles after spending 2020 as Florida’s offensive coordinator, will likely join Kingsbury in developing a rookie quarterback. The Commanders’ Sam Howell experiment took on water this season, and the eight-game win streak to close out the campaign gave the team the No. 2 overall pick. That is expected to be used on a quarterback. It should then be expected that Kingsbury and Johnson’s fortunes will be tied to Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels — with the Bears still viewed as likely to draft ex-Kingsbury charge Caleb Williams at No. 1 — in Washington.
Dan Quinn has agreed to bring Joe Whitt with him to Washington, moving the former Dallas secondary coach up to defensive coordinator. The Cowboys are not allowing their former DC to poach other assistants for lesser roles.
The Cowboys have now prevented the Commanders from interviewing two of their staffers. They are blocking the Commanders from interviewing defensive backs coach Al Harris, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. This comes after the team nixed a Washington meeting with tight ends coach Lunda Wells, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Quinn sought Wells as his next offensive line coach, per Rapoport. Wells, 40, was in place as the Cowboys’ tight ends coach before Quinn arrived in 2021. Mike McCarthy hired Wells in 2020; he previously worked on the Giants’ staff under multiple head coaches.
Harris, 49, also predates Quinn in Dallas. McCarthy brought the former cornerback in as his DBs coach in 2020 as well. Harris had previously worked as a six-year Chiefs assistant under Andy Reid, making a transition into the coaching ranks after a lengthy playing career.
Harris has drawn consideration for the Cowboys’ DC post, but in the days since his name emerged in that mix, the Cowboys have interviewed bigger names. Ron Rivera, Mike Zimmer and Rex Ryan have met with the team about its defensive play-calling gig. They join D-line coach Aden Durde and Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuelin the mix for that position. Whitt was believed to be the Cowboys’ initial DC choice, but he opted to follow Quinn elsewhere in the NFC East.
The NFL has moved to prevent teams from blocking staffers at moves to the coordinator ranks in recent years, but while the team could not block Whitt from leaving for Washington (a move that is now official), clubs can still prevent assistants under contract from making lateral moves. Whitt will call the Commanders’ defensive plays, putting Quinn in place as a CEO coach in Washington.
The Cowboys are not standing in the way of multiple other assistants following Quinn, however. They will not nix Commanders interviews with assistant defensive line coach Sharrif Floyd or quality control staffer Pete Ohnegian, Archer adds. A former first-round Vikings draftee, Floyd joined McCarthy’s Cowboys staff in 2023.
The Commanders became the eighth and final team to hire a head coach this offseason, bringing in former Cowboys DCDan Quinn. Further details have emerged on Washington’s search, one which included a number of turns before its eventual conclusion.
Once Adam Peters was installed as general manager, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson became the candidate most closely associated with Washington’s HC vacancy. That remained the case until late in the search process, when signs pointed to the Commanders carrying a more open-minded approach. Indeed, SI’s Albert Breer notes how Peters, owner Josh Harris and hiring committee member Rick Speilman were “rankled” by the widespread outside perception the job was Johnson’s to lose.
The latter elected (as he did in 2023) to withdraw from head coach consideration for the Commanders and Seahawks. The timing of that decision – which Washington’s front office became aware of while flying to Detroit – has not gone over well, and Johnson has become the subject of reporting pointing to poor interviews and a high asking price. With him out of the running, Washington and Seattle both turned their attention to Mike Macdonald as a top target.
As Ben Standig and Dianna Russini of The Athletic report, the Commanders were keen on the ex-Ravens defensive coordinator until the Seahawks “swooped in with more money” (subscription required). As they note, Macdonald received a six-year contract with Seattle – standard practice in the NFL being four- or five-year agreements for coaches – something which no doubt factored into his decision to head to the Emerald City.
The Athletic report also corroborates others from last week which stated the Commanders offered their HC position to Macdonald around the same time he was finalizing his agreement with the Seahawks. That has led to concerns that Quinn, whose run at the helm of the Falcons included a 43-42 record, was no higher than third on Washington’s priority list. The 53-year-old’s leadership traits have, on the other hand, earned considerable praise in Dallas and elsewhere during Washington’s vetting process.
Quinn is in place (along with his offensive and defensive coordinators) as the Commanders aim to move forward from a disappointing final campaign under Ron Rivera. With the dust having settled on the HC cycle, both Washington and Seattle can proceed with their respective coaches, although the process undergone by the former in particular to arrive at this point is certainly noteworthy.
When news of the Commanders’ Kliff Kingsbury hire came out, questions were raised about the future of incumbent offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. An answer has emerged regarding the latter, and he will not be in Washington for the 2024 campaign.
Bieniemy will not be retained, new head coach Dan Quinn said at his introductory press conference. As a result, the longtime Chiefs OC will once again be on the move after a single campaign spent in the nation’s capital. Kingsbury was brought in on Sunday, and he will take charge of Washington’s offense. Quinn added that he and Bieniemy spoke earlier today, and the former offered well wishes for the latter in his next NFL opportunity.
Bieniemy spent 10 seasons under Andy Reid in Kansas City, including five as offensive coordinator. That gig did not involve play-calling duties, but he did take on a position which involved full control of the offense last offseason by joining the Commanders. The move from a unit led by Patrick Mahomesto one featuring Sam Howellat quarterback, a suspect offensive line and a skill-position corps lacking in proven options (aside from wideout Terry McLaurin) led to questions about how much success Bieniemy would be able to have in 2023.
On the other hand, Ron Rivera was widely seen as a lame-duck coach entering the campaign, giving Bieniemy a potential avenue to a head coaching opportunity. Rivera was indeed dismissed at the end of the season, and owner Josh Harris confirmed Bieniemy would be a candidate to replace him. The latter interviewed with Washington, but he was not among the team’s list of finalists, putting his own future in doubt.
Quinn is now officially in place, and the Commanders are prepared to move forward with new-look coaching and front office staffs. The team’s offense will likely have a new quarterback as its focal point by the start of next season, as the Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick. Kingsbury’s hire has led to speculation Washington could make a push to select USC’s Caleb Williams(with whom Kingsbury worked this season), though drafting the former Heisman winner remains a likely move on the part of the Bears with the top pick in April’s draft.
Regardless of how Washington moves forward, Bieniemy will now become a late entrant on the coordinator scene. A number of teams have already filled their OC vacancies. That includes the Raiders, who had an agreement with Kingsbury fall through and have since tapped Luke Getsy to lead their offense. Presuming Greg Roman‘s new Chargers position is confirmed to be offensive coordinator, only the Seahawks remain amongst teams with an opening which has not at least reportedly been filled.
The Commanders ranked 24th and 25th in total and scoring offense, respectively, this season. Those totals paint a different picture than the one which was in place earlier in the season (Howell led the league in passing at one point), and they of course will not help Bieniemy’s stock. Given his track record with the Chiefs – whose offense struggled without him, particularly early in the campaign – however, he could find a landing spot relatively soon.
Dan Quinn will step back from the play-calling post he held in Dallas, indicating Monday his new defensive coordinator — Joe Whitt — will run the show on gamedays. This will be a move up for Whitt, who spent the past three seasons as the Cowboys’ secondary coach.
The Cowboys wanted to retain Whitt, who had a pre-Dallas history with both Quinn and Mike McCarthy. Whitt’s past with the latter is far more extensive; Whitt was on McCarthy’s Green Bay staff for 11 seasons (2008-18). He joined Quinn’s Falcons defense in 2020, but Quinn’s October 2020 ouster prevented the two from coaching together much. Quinn brought Whitt to Dallas, however, and will entrust him with the defensive play calls in Washington.
One of Whitt’s former Packers coworkers is also on the Commanders’ radar. The team is interested in hiring Jason Simmons, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicating the Commanders sent the Raiders an interview request. Las Vegas granted the request. Simmons spent the past two seasons as the Raiders’ DBs coach and pass-game coordinator, being a Josh McDaniels hire. While some McDaniels hires are in line to stay, others have already been fired or left for other positions.
Simmons, 47, spent nine years with the Packers, overlapping with Whitt from 2011-18 in Wisconsin. Both coached Green Bay’s DBs at points during that span, with their final year together featuring Whitt as the Pack’s pass-game coordinator and Simmons in the DBs coach post. Simmons served as the Panthers’ pass-game coordinator under Matt Rhule and doing the same under McDaniels and Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas. With Whitt in place as the DC, it would seem the Commanders are targeting Simmons for another pass-game coordinator role.
Johnson is believed to have informed Kingsbury the Commanders would be interested if his Raiders talks broke down. Soon after, Kingsbury had a deal in place with the Commanders. This probably will not go over well with the Raiders, who have since moved on toLuke Getsy as their offensive play-caller. But after the Commanders were unable to land their top choices as head coach, their OC position enticed Kingsbury to bail on a Vegas pledge.
Johnson aligned himself with Josh Harris when he attempted to buy the Broncos in 2022, and the NBA legend did so again during the 76ers owner’s successful push to acquire the Commanders. The Kingsbury about-face also has not prompted the Raiders to block a Simmons interview, potentially indicating the latter was not firmly in their 2024 plans.
The Commanders wanted an experienced play-caller to team with Quinn, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. Kingsbury fits the bill, having run the show on offense at Texas Tech and then with the Cardinals. After a season as Caleb Williams‘ position coach, Kingsbury is likely to coach a rookie quarterback five years after mentoring No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. Washington is unlikely — barring a Chicago trade-down — to be in position to take Williams, but a Commanders future with Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels is firmly in play. The team now has Kingsbury readying to lead this likely development effort.
Shortly after the reports that they had landed Kliff Kingsbury to call their offense, it has been reported that the Commanders have filled their defensive coordinator position, as well. Per Steve Wyche of NFL Network, Cowboys secondary coach and pass game coordinator Joe Whitt will be joining Dan Quinn and Kingsbury in Washington as the team’s new defensive coordinator. The move is now official.
This hiring comes as a bit of a surprise as Whitt was considered a heavy favorite to replace Quinn as the new defensive coordinator in Dallas. According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Whitt was scheduled to interview with the Cowboys for their coordinator vacancy Monday. Instead, Whitt will take his first coordinator job with the team’s division rival, following his old boss to DC.
The Cowboys reportedly have interviews in the next two days lined up for defensive line coach Aden Durde, former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, and former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. The team’s insistence on bringing in candidates with head coaching experience to replace Quinn may have been a factor in Whitt’s willingness to move on from the position without going through with his interview.
Whitt has been coaching in the NFL since 2007, after seven years coaching at the college level with The Citadel, Auburn, and Louisville. Starting as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Falcons, Whitt joined the Packers staff in 2008. Over 11 years in Green Bay, Whitt would move through the ranks from defensive quality control coach to cornerbacks coach to defensive passing game coordinator.
Following Mike McCarthy‘s dismissal from Green Bay, Whitt would detour to Cleveland where he would serve as secondary coach and pass game coordinator. He would follow up his one-year stint with the Browns with another one-year stint as secondary coach in Atlanta with Quinn. When Quinn was fired from the Falcons and joined McCarthy’s staff in Dallas, it was a no-brainer for Whitt rejoin both coaches as the Cowboys’ secondary coach and pass game coordinator.
Perhaps Whitt felt like he was being forced to choose between two divorced parents having to decide between staying with McCarthy, who served as Whitt’s head coach for all 11 years that he was in Green Bay, or following Quinn, who brought him along from Atlanta. Regardless, it’s Quinn who will reward Whitt with his first career defensive coordinator gig in Washington.
