Commanders make coaching hire that will improve weakest position, and link them to NFL Draft prospect

The Commanders are bringing in LSU safety coach Jake Olsen to help fix the defense and develop players.

Josh Taylor — Washington Commanders News Writer
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The Washington Commanders made multiple changes to the coaching staff this offseason, and they weren’t done yet.

Head coach Dan Quinn made the call and brought in Daronte Jones as the new defensive coordinator after being blown away in his interview. Now, Jones will install his new scheme in Washington, and he’s filled out his staff to help do so.

Jones made one final hire with a familiar face coming in to help fix the defense.

Commanders hire LSU safety coach Jake Olsen to fix the defense

Jones cleaned house and revamped the defensive staff with major additions such as Eric Henderson as the defensive line coach. The staff is just about finalized, but Jones made one last hire to the defense that will come with proven results, and made an interesting connection in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Commanders are bringing in LSU safety coach Jake Olsen for an undisclosed coaching position on defense.

Olsen is likely going to be a defensive assistant coach and not stuck to just one position, but he’s developed safeties and linebackers at a high level in college.

Olsen spent 2021 as a linebacker coach at LSU under Jones, and he’s had success everywhere he’s been so far. LSU had a top-25 scoring defense each of the last two seasons, and he did the same at Missouri in 2023, where they went 11-2 with the 25th-best defense in the country.

Olsen has helped develop some big names in college, such as LSU LB Damone Clark and Missouri LB Ty’Ron Hopper, who was a two-time All-SEC LB under Olsen. In 2025, Olsen helped LSU safety A.J. Haulcy earn All-SEC honors, and he would be the perfect draft prospect for the Commanders.

The Commanders need to draft LSU safety A.J. Haulcy to fix their secondary

The Commanders have one of the worst safety rooms in the NFL, and it’s one of the biggest weaknesses on the team. Jones’ defensive scheme needs high-end secondary play for it to thrive, and they don’t have the players to succeed in the defense, no matter how much Jones caters the defense around their playing style.

LSU safety A.J. Haulcy would be the perfect prospect for the Commanders to target, and Olsen would agree. Haulcy is a 6-0, 222-pound safety who projects as a free safety with his range, but he can also play closer to the line of scrimmage.

Haulcy has eight interceptions over the last two seasons, and he’s a blanket in the secondary. He’s also a thumper in space and in the running game when he crashes downfield. Haulcy is an experienced, versatile defender with a high IQ, which is everything Jones has said he needs on defense.

Haulcy is projected to go in the late-second to very early third round, so there’s a chance he could be there at 71 for the Commanders. It’s a very deep and loaded safety class this year with Caleb Downs, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Dillion Thieneman, and Kamari Ramsey leading the way. Haulcy will be somewhere in that mix, but the dream pick for the Commanders at No. 71 overall.

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