Commanders' search for a new head coach should be leaning toward the obvious direction
The Washington Commanders are in a wild place to be in weeks removed from their firing of Ron Rivera as head coach. Out of eight NFL teams that had head coach openings this offseason, they're one of the two franchises left to hire their next leader of men alongside the Seattle Seahawks. That puts them […]
The Washington Commanders are in a wild place to be in weeks removed from their firing of Ron Rivera as head coach.
Out of eight NFL teams that had head coach openings this offseason, they're one of the two franchises left to hire their next leader of men alongside the Seattle Seahawks.
That puts them in a unique position as an insane list of remaining candidates includes football guys that have been in the position before like Dan Quinn, Mike Vrabel, and even Bill Belichick. But it also includes several of the rising hotshots around the league like Ben Johnson, Mike Macdonald, and Bobby Slowik.
As things stand right now, the Commanders' new front office seems to have a great menu to pick from and it'll be tough for them to miss on whoever they pick. Per multiple reports, these are the coaches that have at least a second interview scheduled:
- Lions OC Ben Johnson
- Texans OC Bobby Slowik
- Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
- Lions DC Aaron Glenn
- Ravens DL coach Anthony Weaver
- Ravens DC Mike Macdonald
As things are set up to heat up next week with the conference championship games being played on Sunday, I believe it's clear in which direction the Commanders should be trending in.
Commanders should be strongly leaning in one direction
This discussion can't be had without bringing up the elephant in the room: The Commanders own the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
That would be a major deal any year but it's particularly so since this time around Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are headed toward the pros. In other words, Washington will likely get to pick one of the two top quarterback prospects, which happen to be considered some of the best we've seen in recent years.
Knowing that the Commanders play in a league where quarterback play is king, a front office that's expected to do things the modern way is likely to prioritize the development of their signal-caller and there's no better way to do that than getting an offensive guru for head coach.
Not only do you get an elite offensive mind to develop the quarterback but with the way OCs are selling in the market these days, you mitigate the risk of losing your offensive coordinator to a head coaching gig in the future.
There are reasons to strongly believe the Commanders are leaning toward picking one of Johnson or Slowik. The former reportedly has a chance to "lock down" the job when he meets the Commanders on Tuesday and it's no secret the latter has ties to new GM Adam Peters as they worked together in San Francisco with the 49ers.
The way I see it, it'd be a surprise if the Commanders lean toward someone other than those two.
